The Story of a Rescue Team
by Reginald Classy-Duck
Summary: Thrust into a crumbling world of Pokémon, an arrogant boy-turned-Pikachu begins to realize what a "hero" truly is. An adaptation of Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Red/Blue Rescue Team.
1. Premonition: The Madman

**The Story of a Rescue Team**

**Rated K+ for cartoon/fantasy violence, comic mischief, intense sequences of action/emotion, and the occasional use of legendaries' names as expletives**

* * *

**Premonition: The Madman**

* * *

_splitter splatter splitter splatter_

The torrent of rain beat down, veiling the pitch-black nighttime sky even further into a wet, thick mess. A lone figure walked across the drenched plain, gleefully muttering to himself. And now, the tall, hooded man stood in front of me, grinning crazily and clutching a single Pokéball. His brown hair wildly curved in all sorts of directions, but his crazed eyes stared, transfixed directly toward mine. Two menacing red irises found their prey and gleefully targeted it.

"Look at you, trembling at your knees already," he grinned in savage joy. "What a failure, a spectacular failure! The look of resignation on your face... is absolutely _delicious!_... You dared to face me, and you have received your wish. Now it's my turn to receive my bargain of the deal."

Like he said, I just lost to him. All of my Pokémon, fainted in the space of five minutes. Not a battle, more like a precisely-calculated rampage engineered by him. Like a surging storm, one powerful move after another, his first Pokémon battered away my team with sheer force; nothing else was quite as powerful as that beast. Oh, what was I thinking? I didn't even dent his first one, and here I am, standing in a storm in the middle of nowhere, looking directly into the face of madness.

_splitter splatter splitter splatter ker-CHEW!_

A sneeze involuntarily escaped from me. Ugh, the rain. Stooping over me, his grin – the only thing visible at this ungodly hour – widened.

"What's the matter? Are you cold?" he asked in mock sympathy. The storm soaked every inch of me, leaving the wind to chill my body to the bone.

I could only muster two useless words.

"Shut up."

No fear at all, right?

"As charming as you've always been, Liam," he coldly replied, putting his free hand on my shoulder. There was no comfort, no laughing, no friendship like after any normal battle. I lost a battle to a hooded madman.

"What do you want?" I asked him, trying to avert my gaze from his crimson eyes, glowing with a vibe of insanity, a powerfully dark aura with the stench of evil - and a noticeable lack of deodorant. Disgusting.

"You already know, friend," he replied, suppressing a chuckle. The hooded man untied my green scarf, now a sopping mess of cloth wrapped around my neck, and took a contemplative look at it, studying the neckwear like how a Pokémon professor reads an ancient tome. I grimaced as he greedily tore it away with his strong claw-like hands, just as if he desired to abuse it. "I'm so glad you're still wearing this," he spat. "It's nice to know people who appreciate gifts like these. You know, maybe it's high time that I received a gift or memento like this from _you_."

"Thanks," I muttered to reciprocate his sincerity, "I'm glad you remember me too. You know, why don't I get you a present for your birthday too? How about a bar of soap or something, eh?"

The hooded god of madness peered over me, smiling and staring. "I've always adored your wit. Sharp, but adorable. And speaking of gifts and rememberances and repayment, that leaves us back to the original issue. You lost; I won. I receive my end of the deal. Isn't that right?"

I couldn't believe it. I was supposed to win. I _had _to. Especially against him. Agreeing to his "end of the deal" would be disastrous. But what was I thinking? Why did I have to challenge him? I knew I had no chance, but I did it anyway... a mistake that would definitely cost much more than my life.

He wiped away a smudge of mud from my sopping blonde hair and, for a moment, stooped down to look at me eye-to-eye.

But like a crazed, psychotic creature, he then immediately seized my throat with his rough hand. "What I want, my dear Liam, is only your completely unmitigated, absolute obedience. This time, you _will_ obey. You _will _follow, and you _will never_ dare to challenge me ever again. I am way too generous for my own good," he followed, tightening his grip around my neck. Urk; breathing got difficult. "So, to match the offer, will you return back with me this time?"

_Crack! _

A hot-white streak of lightning ripped across the sky, briefly flashing the air. In the brief moment I saw his lanky body tower over mine, the wretched aura of his presence overpowering my senses. A tumultuous clap of thunder shortly followed. The rain fell down and soaked me further.

I could never allow it to happen. Not in a million years- no, never. The living incarnation of evil - I would never fall to him!

In the storm his laughs bellowed mightily and eerily, dwarfing the furious claps of thunder. "HAHA! Kneel Liam, kneel!"

In a fit of anger, I pushed his hand and his lean body away with surprising force, knocking him back into a sloppy puddle of mud. I would never fall to evil!

As I shoved him into the cold ground, I yelled to him. "This should answer your question!" A small, yet long-needed, spark of pride filled me up as I watched him angrily mutter while getting up.

Unfortunately, this didn't seem to help my cause. Wait, he was laughing as he pulled himself up?

"Heh heh. I expected that. I knew you wouldn't immediately say yes. That's why I took the gracious liberty-," he grinned, ever so madly, while throwing his Pokéball into the air, "-of _making_ you say yes. Liam, say hello to your contract enforcer," he cackled, showing just for a brief moment the glint of insanity in his eyes.

I looked up as the capsule released a white light of energy then let out the beast, the same one which single-handedly defeated my whole team.

"Ahaha! Liam, witness true power, right in front of your own eyes!" he laughed maniacally.

Out came the beast, a truly magnificent creature in all its wrath and glory.

"That's-!" I stuttered as I recognized it.

"Indeed, the same one which pummeled each and every one of your little Pokémon!"

"GWAAHOOOH!" it angrily roared, hovering beside its master and locking eyes directly at me. All my initial feelings of anger and pride and numbness melted away into pure fear.

"Hey there," I shook, "What-what'cha doing there? Nice weather we're having, right?"

"Silly Liam, you've had your chance. I've given you the option to join, and you refused. With our little agreement, this time I feel that it's quite necessary to _enforce _the honor code," he coolly remarked. His mad smile only widened as he stared more intently with those horrid crimson irises.

"Grrrrr," the beast muttered, staring at me and flapping its wings. It stared directly toward me; funny, it had those same red eyes as the hooded man. I really wished to hide myself right now. I wanted to run away...

"Enough talk," the hooded man sharply spoke. "You know full well that I'm a man of action and that I don't appreciate insubordination."

"As if- as if I even listened to you in the first place!" I yelled back, faltering.

He smiled then erupted in raucous laughter. "Haha! As charming as always!"

"Do your worst."

His initial surprise to that jumped right back into his usual smile. "As you wish, Liam," he replied before turning to the beast, "Now, use Dragon Claw!" he shouted.

Uh oh. Not good.

The beast roared, puffing and growling against the gale's cacophonous thunder before rushing at me with a glowing arm.

I didn't even have a chance to turn around and run before it-

_Slash! _

Collided its white-hot talons right into me, hooking with great, whalloping force then-

_Thud!_

-pummeling me into the ground. Pain, pain... ugh. My side wretched with raw, bleeding gashes from the impact of the Claw. The initial shock of the attack turned into burning agony as if a thousand knives punctured my body. The cruel hooks tore out a chunk of flesh, leaving a river of red liquid in its wake. Heh, my own blood. I clutched my neck as it bled, stinging and overloading my nerves with searing pain. Already, my consciousness began to ebb away...

I looked, vulnerable and seriously injured, at the face of the beast and its master from below. I clutched my bleeding side, knowing all too well my fate from here. Compress the wound, compress the wound. Make it stop for a bit.

"You have just witnessed true power in your own eyes! Tremble, O Liam, tremble at your weakness!"

"Ngh...no," I uttered. This couldn't be happening; it's too soon! If only I didn't make that mistake!

The hooded man towered over me. "Yes, yes. The agreement _shall resume_!" he grinned, "Come, I shall take you and-"

_splitter splatter ptew_

As he leaned over, I spit with all my force a glob of saliva into his savage grin. Take that, loser. Take that with you to your delightful journey to the underworld.

For a half-second, the smile broke into an angry frown, but it immediately rectified itself, this time with a more wretched demeanor.

"You know, in all your fourteen _pitiful _years of life, I have never witnessed such pointlessly blind arrogance from you. But very well," he calmly spoke. His malevolent aura seemed to emanate an even more horrid feeling when he wasn't cackling. "You seem to be too difficult to work with, but oh, you would have been such a fine partner!"

Arrogance?! What arrogance?! No; I'm standing up against evil! _I'm doing the right thing!... right? But what went so wrong?_

"I won't..."

"It's just too bad you refused to honor the deal. A terrible breach of contract, this is. Why, that's a grave violation of an agreement! Well now, there's a fine for that, and a hefty one too," he gleefully whistled, "So I'll be the one to enforce that as well. Honestly, even though you refuse to comply with our deal, I'll be looking forward to your punishment!"

"Why? Why are you doing this?" I asked, crying out of a forlorn hope.

This time, he didn't answer me; he only cackled into the dark storm, twitching his slender fingers and arching his back. I knew where this is going, grimly accepting fate's cold shoulder.

He turned to the beast, screaming, "Hyper beam, now!"

The beast raised its chest, exulting in front of the storm. Giant white veins streaked against the night sky, illuminating the monster and its master. The beast formed a great sphere of white-hot energy near its oranged head, charging up for the final blow. I watched helplessly as I lay on the muddy ground in a puddle of brown and red. This time, there was no running away or standing up. There was no escape..!

"I guess this is the end, isn't it? Haha, what a great day!" I chuckled to the heavens. A giant beam of light vaguely screamed across, racing toward my way.

I had a few split seconds to see him nod in quiet agreement. "A sad ending for such a promising child," the man quietly mused before he, the beast, the stormy sky, and the world became wrapped in a blinding veil of pure white.

* * *

Hello everyone; Reginald Classy-Duck here! Our story's an adaptation/novelization of the Red/Blue Rescue Team games (as stated in the summary) with a bit of a twist to the story. Thanks to everyone for sending me the invaluable reviews and constructive criticisms. I couldn't have done this without your input. Reviews and suggestions do help, so as always, please feel free to send one in - feel free to say anything you like!

Cover photo is from the Pokemon Card POP Series 6 version. Obviously I don't own any Nintendo franchise products like Pokemon. This is not a commercial use of their product(s).


	2. Chapter One: Clashing Personas

**Begin Act I: New Life**

* * *

**Chapter One: Clashing Personas**

* * *

The world was completely white. I saw no colors, no sounds, nothing tangible; just empty, white space. Complete stasis. I floated gracefully in the blank void, hovering and unmoving. I couldn't see my own body. Just pure white. Of course, I couldn't really move either (I mean, my body's gone...) Total silence loomed over the endless sea of nothingness. Not a breeze filled the 'air' nor even the sound of my heartbeat; the place was completely empty and devoid of matter.

Me? Only one word could describe my feelings right now. _Drained_. No emotions, no anger nor sadness nor joy. Just nothingness - like this white world around.

I asked myself the obvious question.

**_Am I dead?_**

The voice of a lady from calmly replied, sweet and soothing. I should have been terrified, but her voice just seemed to cast away all doubts with calm reassurance.

_No Liam, you're alive and fine. Well, at least your spirit is. I can't tell if your body is still alive; I only reside here with the spirits. However, most of them are from the dead, but don't let that worry you. Right now it seems like we're the only ones here, so don't feel too shy, okay?_

_**...Who are you?**_

_I am the voice of a spirit, the crying soul of a lost one, just like you. And also like you, I don't have a physical form in this realm. _

_**So this is supposed to be 'heaven' or 'limbo' or something? **_

_Well, not exactly. _

**_Then what is this place? _**

_We are in a portal between lives, a separate part of the universe - no, not even that, something more ethereal. Call this place the rest stop for spirits on their unending journey. _

**_So the stopgap for reincarnation then._**

_Well, something similar, but not exactly. What I mean is, you are going to be the same while totally different at the same time. Right now, I am taking you through a realm which leads to a world inhabited by Pokémon. This might not look like a portal to another land, but trust me, I will guide you step by step into that world. _

**_Wha-what? _Pokémon world? Me? __**

__Yes. You're taking a journey into a wonderful land, but before we get there, I need you to help me out. I need to figure out your nature; I need to know your soul.__

_**What do you need?**_

_I only want you to answer a couple of questions for me. I need to discover what kind of person you are. This world of _Pokémon is quite similar and fascinatingly different from the human world. These creatures live just like people do: talking, discovering, questioning, and living. Yet there's something marvelously distinct about them. The tenet of their action is not their belief, but rather their instinct and drive - you can see this clearly in any battle. So what drives all of this?__

_Their nature. It is the core of their character. The essence of their soul. It guides and shapes them both in times of joy and hardship. Melodious as a symphony, violent as a clap of thunder, or rough as the eye of a storm, a Pokémon's nature is the lifeblood of their existence._

**_So you want to know who I really am?_**

_That's why I'm here with you. I wish to know you more. I will craft you a living form which resonates in tone with your true spirit. Are you ready to find out who you are?_

**_...Yes. I am ready. _**

_Very well; I am bringing you through the portal. __Answer honestly and with your soul. Search your spirit for the truth. Don't think too hard; trust your feelings, dear child. __Your soul is drifting away with me. Come now; let your heart fly away and let your instinct run free. Let the interview begin! _

The blank realm began to glow, as if a light shone around it. The white tone became brighter and brighter, and looking around, I saw the whole portal shine in a blinding flash. The voice let out a quiet hum as she lulled me into a deep, spiritual sleep...

* * *

When I woke up, I found the realm filled with much-needed color. I saw strange waves of green, purple, and blue rise and fall into each other. The colors wildly collide into each other and create strange patterns. I could hear the faint and beautiful sound of a gentle breeze rustling in the air. Calm, like I'm sensing an inner peace. Am I looking at my soul right now? Funny, I never imagined it to be so colorful and lively.

_Welcome to the portal, the final ground for spirits entering the land of Pokémon. It is time that I take a look at your soul._

_First, do you have many close friends? Are you liked by others?_

_**I... I don't know. I hope so; I try to be nice to the others around me. But I'm not sure if I'm all that popular or even well-liked. Maybe it's just my own problem... I try to cling on to what friends I have, but I'm afraid they'll turn away. And when they do, when I'm alone, things fall apart... Again, maybe it's just my fault.**_

_You care about others, but you seem to be a bit harsh on yourself. You're very close to your friends, but you're insecure without the company of them?_

_**I guess so... I'm a totally confident guy around others y'know? Laughing, playing, battling, and having a fun time with the few I have... But alone, I think that confidence just kinda withers away. I'm a different person without them. Maybe that's why I have trouble making new ones.**_

_But you said you were different with others - I sensed that glint of emotion! I felt a jump of joy in you when you thought about that. Maybe a rush of confidence too. Can I know why?_

_**Maybe it's because I think differently with those close to me. Like maybe I can throw off all my worries and finally get up. Not so withdrawn anymore. But I guess in those moments I forget who I really am deep down...**_

_So you hide your true feelings and insecurities?_

I paused and looked up. The green-and-purple void now was stained with black, ugly gashes. I shut my eyes again.

**_Like fear and anger and stuff?.. Yeah, maybe you're right. I guess I'm truly not that great of a guy, right? Well congrats. I think you've found my sterling-silver soul, madam. _**

Yet even as the realm was now a canvas with ugly black marks, I still heard her motherly voice call for me.

_Come now, don't be so hard on yourself. In fact, I think you're letting your fear take over you right now. Let your true emotions take over, and relax so I can get a better view into your soul. _

_Now, how about we take a look at something more positive? Tell me what you're like with your friends. Your best ones; the ones you cherish._

**_Okay... well, definitely more secure. Probably open and kinder too; maybe even a braver. Like I said before, laughing and having fun - what I truly want to be. Friends matter to me._**

_But I hope you don't depend on them? _

**_...That might be an issue for me. _**

_Something tells me I'm looking at two different people right now. A troubled child who uses the mask of companionship to hide his dark feelings of fear, and maybe that mask might be bolstering your confidence too high sometimes..._

The black stains grew bigger, swallowing up the other swirling colors.

**_I guess you've got it right. _**

_I understand; thank you. I'm starting to get the rhythm of your soul. It's a lively and steady rhythm with contrasting jolts and pangs. Two melodies; interesting. I think I can make a good form for you with this. _

The colors, from orange to blue to the dreaded black, started to swirl into each other more quickly, and the gentle breeze in the background was soon accompanied by the faint noise of a dim spark. I closed my 'eyes' and began to contemplate again.

_Now, __in the Pokémon world there are many evils, just like in yours. However, in that world some lead to repercussions that are in a far greater magnitude. In t__imes like these, this is caused by the actions of some, who in blind greed or wrath, create only great anguish and suffering for others. Yet, do you truly believe that everyone is good, deep down inside?_

_**I do. **_

_**Of course, people make terribly bad decisions just like you said. Some people are buried in hatred and fear, and they hurt others, but I truly believe that everyone is good, deep down inside. They just do bad things, but really, anyone can change. Maybe they didn't mean it. Maybe they just wanted to do something good for others, but they got led astray. **_

_So if everyone is innately benevolent deep inside, why does this terrible suffering happen? What would you do to change this? _

_**I- I don't know. I guess if they learned to think differently, to listen to others outside their dogma, maybe things wouldn't be so bad as they are in that world. I try to be nice to others. I try my best at what I can. I'll try what I can to make things right. I want to help others, but there's so only so much I can do... and I'm only one kid.**_

_Yet even if you are just 'one kid', you hope for the best._

_Now for my final question. Do you think terrible things, like what I said earlier, can change? _

**_I think we can change things, but there's a lot in the way. Maybe we can do it slowly, but at least one step at a time. And I'll try my very best, with what little skill and courage I have alone... to help._**

**_Thanks for talking this with me. I felt a bit better about myself, more prepared for this world of Pokémon you're taking me to._**

_No, thank **you**. You helped me out a great deal; together, I think we've just found out who you truly are. I can see it now, your nature, just right in front of my eyes. I have crafted just the perfect form for your soul; how wonderful it fits you! Now, our interview is over. Take a breath of fresh air. Oops, well, that's not too possible here._

She expired a tiny sigh, comforting me as the dream began to calm down. No more spinning colors or black stains; the canvas now faded away into pale hues.

_Just relax. _

_..._

The colors stopped, freezing into a swirled, dull mural with drab hues of green and gray. The sounds, now a symphony of wind and waters, stopped too, leaving me almost back to the original realm. Something was different, though, about this place. I could see, just a speck in the far distance, something very colorful and lively.

...

...

_It seems to me that you appear to be... __the Impish type._

_Around friends, you're playful, cheerful, and you love pranks. You are truly confident around them. You're also kindhearted and friendly - even without others. You said earlier that you don't think they like you; that it is all your fault. I have to disagree. Instead, they look positively to you._

_**Me?.. No, I don't think so.**_

_Oh? You don't? You probably just don't notice it. __People see you like a spark of hope. _

**_Spark of hope? _**

_Indeed. Even during the darkest hour, you provide a sense of cheerfulness and a bit of bravery. You want to change the world - or at least you try. Things might not always go your way, but you know this and you press on. _

_Yet there is a serious caveat which eats away at you._

_Your cheeriness hides your gaping sense of instability without others. Bravery and cheerfulness on the outside masks the pangs of insecurity inside. __Malignant feelings of hopelessness, cowardice, anger, and despair inflict wounds on you while you are alone. This façade of brightness hides the darkness deep inside. All it takes to expose this is something that can wear away the outside layer._

_**Outside layer and bitterness inside... **_

_You allude that you cannot bear to be alone. Perhaps this feeling of loneliness can erode you most easily. It's difficult to break you, but when you are broken, it's also hard to snap right back. The fear and pain you experience alone - is that why you try to hide your insecurities? Is that why you keep trying to discard these feelings with your mask of companionship?_

_Oh? Perhaps this is what you do to hide your fear and inadequacies? Do you use your streak of pride and pent-up confidence now - ironically, the malefactor you blindly relied upon to face the beast - to cover up that insecurity?_

I paused. She hit it right on the target.

**_I-I guess so. _**

**_Yes._**

**_ Yes I do. _**

_You need to let go of that and listen to your true feelings in your soul._

_Still, there's a positive side to all of this again. The darkness inside may wrack you and try to break you, but you shall surely destroy it in the end. Your true nature is not the darkness within; rather, it's the light that radiates from you. Interestingly, it's what's outside that matters. Truly, you think you can conquer yourself._

_But be careful, and don't let your pride get the best of you. My last warning is this: watch out for your reckless arrogance. It is a double-edged sword; it may give you a sense of false hope, only to destroy you moments later. It did that to you before, and I think you don't want that to occur any time ever again. I know that you become a tad prideful sometimes with that pent-up confidence with your companions._

Yet right after as she spoke those painfully true words, she began to talk in soothing tones. Wait, was that a chuckle from her? No, no; that's not bad at all! Maybe she really cares about things, after all...

_That's quite unusual for an impish type like you, though. Don't take it too harshly on yourself. That reminds me! __Now, do you recall how I mentioned that one's nature determines his or her identity as a _Pokémon? Now is the time that we finally uncover your character. Everything is set; let's find out who you are.__

She stopped for a moment, the brief pause hanging heavily.

_A spark of hope for others and a close friend who fears of letting others slip away. A worrying, embittered soul on the inside hiding under the mask of false confidence. A proud, cheerful person on the outside with a fearful, insecure attitude inside... Essentially, two clashing personalities in one._

_An impish person like you should be..._

_the Pokémon Pikachu!_

**_Yes! Awesome!_  
**

_Glad you're happy with that. Now our last step is to choose a partner: one who will always try to be at your side whenever and wherever you are. The one who will weep and share joy with you, run alongside you in strange lands, and never part from you in the darkest of times. Your compliment and your foil. Most importantly, your partner will be there to help you conquer yourself. _

_Who will you choose as your partner - your best friend? Of course, he will be your age. _

_**I can choose?**_

_Naturally. Well, I can't make him out of thin air, but I'll get it done one way or another. _Now, again, who will he be?_ _

_**A partner... someone who is brave and active even alone, unlike me. Someone who knows his powers and limits, unlike me. Someone more confident and skilled, unlike me. Most of all, someone who understands me, unlike... me.**_

_It will be done. All right, now the last step is to simply choose who he shall be..._

* * *

_Interesting choice; I didn't expect that. __Okay, we're all set. _I have learned everything I needed to start the process. ___Liam! Your life is about to be changed forever. Be brave, and never turn back. __Don't worry; we shall meet again. ____So, are you ready? __What are you waiting for? Let's go! _

_Bring forth the spark of hope! _

__Welcome to the world of _Pokémon!___

The voice, like a fleeting dream, got quieter and quieter until it died away. The realm began to spin around like a vortex; it was like a tornado! The now-dull colors began to sharpen up and spin around, focusing on that speck in the distance, which got larger and larger. I could see it now - the faint image of a sky and land! The world began to come into view, brighter and brighter until it flashed away, lulling me into a deep sleep. Still, for a brief moment I saw green hills, trees, a little plain...

...and the lone figure of a small, red Pokémon walking amicably toward the hills.

* * *

__Have you ever wondered about worlds beyond our own? _What if you woke up one day, and you were a Pokémon? What if all of a sudden you find yourself in a new world, where you can speak and interact with other Pokémon? _Let's go far, far away into another land, into another world that is similar yet not quite like our own. Let's go on a marvelous adventure and journey filled with excitement, despair, joy, anger, and everything else in between. _But what is your true purpose and destiny in this Pokémon world? Ah, that's the real mystery... just do the best you can, Liam. I'll be watching you all the way from here. _


	3. Chapter Two: Awakening

**Chapter Two: ****Awakening**

* * *

It was strangely warm. The storm must've cleared up; I could feel the sun's warm rays beat down on my stomach. My back rustled the prickly, soft grass underneath. I was a bit wet though - probably from last night's rain. I felt a pleasant breeze. Not freezing cold, just a sweet-smelling draft of cool air. Smelled like blossoming wildflowers around here too, as if everything from last night's horror just faded away into time. Was I even in the same place?

Wait a minute; grass, ground, sun, no rain? That means I was still alive! Haha, yes! Must be late morning, then. Oh no; am I late? No! I can't miss trainers' school!.. but the ground's so soft and comfy...

Still, this couldn't be right. I didn't remember any grass from the battleground - just dirt and rocks near a forest. Sure, grass could've grown here, but not in the space of a couple hours. This doesn't feel right. Where was I? How in the world did I get here? I could have sworn just last night I fought a hooded man and a great, winged Pokémon. They couldn't have left me alive like this, not after what I did.

Was I dreaming this?

Instead, this place reminded me of my old town. The sound of gently rustling foliage whispered the only sound I can hear for miles around...

...except I heard someone breathing! I wondered who it was?

"Excuse me there; what are you doing? Hey, wake up," the odd voice calmly beckoned me, high pitched and excited. Sounded like someone my age. But who was this person? A new neighbor? I've never heard his voice before. What did he want from me?

"Come on! Wake up already. The sun's halfway in the sky, everybody should be up by now!" he impatiently whined, as if he had somewhere better to go.

Might as well, I mused. Come on Liam, get up now. Up and at it go go go!

"Yaaawwwn!" I unceremoniously cried as I got up and wiped away some wet, green grass from my strangely furry back. Did I change clothes? I recalled wearing a light jacket, not this odd-textured pelt. Judging that I somehow managed to end up waking up in the middle of some idyllic rolling green plain, I really couldn't explain to myself anything right now.

I wordlessly sat up and accustomed my eyes to the bright morning sun with my back toward the stranger. The view - it was so amazing! Tall trees, grassy, green hills, flowers, and a clear blue sky - like everything from last night was wiped away by the winds of time.

"Oh, good! You finally came to!" he cried happily.

"Wait, who was that? Wh-where's this place?" I shuddered, surprised from his yell. Come on Liam, think! Think! Look around. Hmm... trees, wet grass, flowers, nothing too much different than the great outdoors. "But how did you, and why...?"

I had a strong feeling that dream with the spirit-lady had something to do with this.

"I saw while I was walking you were passed out there. I'm glad you woke up!" The kid behind me explained with fiery confidence. He sounded like he's fourteen or something. Same age as me then? I hope he knew whatever the reason why I woke up in the middle of some random field.

"I'm Blaze! Glad to meet you!" He happily exclaimed as I lifted myself up and turned around to see his beaming face-

Hold it right there.

Not a face. Not human at least. Big grin, even bigger teeth, orange-red head, and large glistering eyes. Just below his head lay a duller yellow-colored belly spot. Not to mention an outstretched claw. A brightly burning red flame flickered and burned atop an oranged tail. Back to eye level, the creature smiled at me in relief that I'm still alive. The oddest part was that I didn't tower over him like I was supposed to at my height; instead, he saw me eye-to-eye: same height, same size.

Yup, Charmander.

Wait a minute; something wasn't right with the picture. Talking Charmander? Oh my freaking Rayquaza no.

No.

No.

No.

Nonononononon0nwegp9vji2p39tgh.

Crap! Crap crap crap crap crap! No! Why me? What did I do to deserve this? The dream! Yes! It must've been the dream!

Ugh, getting light-headed. Come on now, I had to snap back to reality. I hoped I didn't faint. Uh, he was looking at me expecting for something. What to say? Loss for words. Try to smile, I didn't want say something stupid. I had to be confident! Yes, that's what she told me.

"Hey, you're a Charmander! And you... talk too!" I stupidly blurted out.

I mentally slapped myself. Out of anything, the absolutely first thing I said was this. Stating the obvious - what a great way to introduce myself.

"Uh, yeah, of course! Hah ha! Hey, you're kinda funny!" he laughed ...not the kind of response I hoped for. Did he think this is some sort of sick joke?

"No, I'm not joking, you in fact _are_, in fact, a walking, talking Charmander!" I cried while flailing my - strangely shorter - arms. "How come you're so tall? I gotta be dreaming this."

"Haha! Must be that quirky Pikachu humor they always talk about!" he chuckled as he jovially brushed aside my remarks. His tail flickered and glowed brighter - an obvious sign of happiness or joy. "Good to see you too!"

I could feel the color draining from my face as I heard the dreadful words. Somehow, I knew my fate was already inescapable. "I- No, there's a huge misunderstanding! You just don't understand; I am _not _a Pikachu! I am a human! A human boy! Not a Pokémon in any fashion at all! You are waaaaay out of wack today, yessir!" I worriedly yelled, bouncing up and down in the air. The Charmander - a kid just like me - started laughing. He must have thought this was a joke; I hoped so too.

I madly sweated, fearing the worst that spirit-lady in the dreamy 'spirit realm', with all her questions and hoopla about a living Pokémon world, was true.

Wait another minute; did he mention Pikachu? Uh oh. I took a worried look at my hands. Stubby little yellow things. Not good. A black tip of an ear drooped down to eye level. I touched a small tuft of hair - no, maybe fur - on the top of my head. Hang on, do I have that-? Yep, a large thunderbolt-shaped yellow tail came into view too as I freely waggled it. Turning a little more to the left, this tail ended in a brown base at my rear. I've noticeably gotten a bit shorter too - not like my old taller and slimmer self. Seems as if I ditched my messy brown hair, green scarf (hmph), and clothes for a new yellow fur with brown back stripes too.

Well, I still had that big scar on my neck from last night's ordeal. _Sigh. _Couldn't I catch a break, even in this weird world?

This was bad. Very bad. I tried to get a hold of myself, trying not to faint from shock.

The Charmander quizzically stared at me, cocking his head to the left at a slight angle. "Are you okay? I mean if you still are wondering... yes, you are a Pokemon. I am too. Ooh, jeez, did you get hurt on your neck or something? Yowch, that looks painful! (_sigh_) Look, if you're sick, I can take you home," he worriedly asked.

"Am I really a Pikachu?" I meekly questioned him.

"Well you sure look like a Pikachu to me! The way I see it, you are a normal Pokémon in every way possible." He smiled back. Gee, his tail burned brightly again.

Ugh. Hey! I thought if I pinch myself real hard I could have waken up- OW! Ooh that hurt! Okay, the Charmander stared right at me like I was some deranged lunatic. I tried something less painful. I shook my tail and let loose a microscopically tiny jolt of electricity in the process. He chuckled a bit, poking my sturdy tail with one of his claws.

Myth confirmed, I was definitely (and unfortunately) a Pikachu.

Panic. I couldn't panic. I should never - that's the first step to losing your sanity. Stay calm Liam, and don't faint. Think logically. What was I doing here looking like a Pikachu? Sweet Latios, the Charmander-guy in front of me was giving me the strangest look ever, like I clearly wasn't in my right mind. Maybe that's just it! But then again, why was I suddenly a walking, talking Pokémon? Nothing, absolutely nothing added up, yet there was no point in arguing anymore. I became a Pikachu, and he stood, a Charmander, whether I liked it or not.

It's too much to handle right now. The Charmander, me, a Pikachu, rolling fields... why did I become so dizzy all of a sudden?

He rushed toward me, yelling. "Hey Pikachu! Are you all right?"

I fell into a deep sleep, fainting as I fell down. Hello, sweet ground...

* * *

_Sniff. _

New smell. Not wildflowers anymore but the scent of burning wait-

"YEEEOWW!" _hot hot hot oh sweet Rayquaza that was hot!_

"Sorry I had to do that, but i just had to wake up! Come on now, this is getting old." I heard from the exasperated cry of an impatient kid.

"...huh? Wha-?"

"Sorry, but you were out stone cold and I needed to awaken you somehow, so I just thought I'd let loose a bit of Ember to get you up," he candidly added.

"Hmph," I indignantly grunted, patting down my burning torso. "You didn't need to do that; I was going to wake up later anyways."

"Suit yourself, then. Hey, you were acting really weird back there," the Charmander warmly smiled after he pulled me to my feet, "and you said you're a human? That's the coolest thing ever! But you totally look like a Pikachu to me still," he said, bubbling with excitement. His orange eyes were filled with the fire of some sort of furious energy, the sort of feeling you get during an adrenaline rush.

"I – It's true I guess. I am one." I wearily accepted as I straightened up. My black-tipped ears drooped down to eye level. A sign of agreement or acceptance among those mouse Pokémon.

"Glad to hear it! Again, My name's Blaze. I haven't seen your face around here. You're kinda weird but funny at the same time!" What a riot I must have been. "What's your name?" he asked.

Oh yeah, that's right, I totally forgot my own name...!

I hesitated, wondering what sort of Pikachu name I would have received, but thought of nothing to substitute for my real name.

I proudly exclaimed: "My name is Liam!"

"Uh-huh. Liam. That's... a hilarious name! Haha! Good old Pikachu humor again! HAhaha!" he laughed, wretching and clutching his dull-yellow stomach in apparent hilarity.

..._sigh_...

I got over the initial embarrassment, then I spoke up to him. "Hey, uh, Blaze listen."

"I'm all ears, Liam... teehee!"

"Alrighty... well like I said before, I'm not actually a Pikachu. I look like one, but once again, I'm actually a human boy. Fourteen years old. I don't know whatever age you are. I lived in a small town with my parents. Or at least I used to. I have no idea how I got here or why, but I experienced a pretty paranormal experience last night which had something to do with this mess," I explained to Blaze, curiously cocking his head.

Blaze's expression dropped ever-so-slightly from that boisterous laugh to a fainter smile. "So you're a human in the body of a Pikachu. That's cool... but humans haven't been living in this world for hundreds - no maybe thousands- of years. To be honest, I'm pretty sure they're fairy tales all the old folks tell us 'youngsters'. Are you completely sure you are still a human? Not trying to pull my leg or anything like that? I'm the same age as you are, so can I at least trust you on this?"

"I...I really can't prove that right now. I'm even forgetting my own memories as we speak. But please, I am - or maybe, _was _a human being," I begged, suddenly remembering how alone I was, except for a single Charmander. "Just trust me, please. I don't know what to do here."

A gentle wind flowed through the grassy plains, blowing on the warm fire of a Charmander's tail flame. The lizard Pokémon smiled, wearing a look of true pity and sympathy. "That's fine. I trust you. I mean, I really don't think you would lie or anything like that. So, now that we're clear, what are you going to do? I don't think you've got anywhere to go..." said Blaze, looking off into the distance.

"Erm, in that case, can I go along with you? Anywhere. I guess I just need somebody to guide me around this place."

"Yeah, sure! I mean, as long as you're not fainting and dropping every ten minutes then I'm totally cool with it!" he dryly joked.

"Well then! Let's do it! I forgot to do this, but great to meet you, Blaze!" For the first time, like the civilized human being that I should have been, I extended my arm out to him in salutation. He warmly shook it in return. Huh, maybe Pokémon are kinda like people after all. Granted, different in stature and shape, but maybe the lady's word had some merit too.

Anyway, it's still nice to have a pal when you're waking up in the middle of Latios-knows-where and you awaken as a Pikachu. Now how could I get out of this surreal Pokémon land? Maybe sticking to the Charmander should work best for me. Well, maybe this could be fun too; thank Rayquaza there's no crazed lunatic or evil, divine force wracking this land.

Blaze glanced around as if he were looking for something. His stomach growled, calling attention for some food. "Alrighty Liam, let's just have a bit of breakfast for now. I'm starving; we can talk a bit more about this over a nice meal."

My belly rumbled in agreement, telling my brain to forget about the whole deal. "You know what, this could be the start of a wonderful friendship. Now where's the food at?" I greedily asked.

"Right over there!" he proudly announced, pointing to a small overhanging tree holding plump apples - like ornaments bedecked on a holiday tree/ "Dig in!"

There's nothing that can start up a good relationship quite as much as food can. We jumped underneath its shady boughs, picking off the juicy, red fruit. It's interesting how easily I forgot about the human world back, home to culinary wonders like cereal and toast and jam, while looking on a chunk of apple the size of my head. My memories were temporarily forgotten as I smelled the sweet fruit.

"Mmph! M't's nothing (_smack_)' lmike human food (_gulp_), mmh?" he messily asked while trying to shovel down a whole apple into his orange body.

"Sort of, but a lot tastier!" I admitted, holding a shining red apple the size of my head - easily big enough for a single breakfast.

I took a rather cautious bite of- _ooh wow_ so sweet! So delicious! The thin, red skin and the crunchy, juicy fruit released a sweet taste right into my taste buds. Crunching up even bigger bites of the apple, I realized how filling and satisfyingly delicious the oversized red sugar bomb was.

Huh? Halfway done with it already?

"So Blaze, what were you doing around here before I was, ah, kinda passed out?" I asked him, pausing from the morning feast.

"Oh, just taking a little morning walk, doing nothing much I suppose. Weekends are pretty boring for me, so I just come out here to relax," he shrugged.

Sounded like an excitingly fun plan to me. Maybe as if he wanted to hide something, yet still, if I was in his position I would have done the same. I tried another question.

"So what about your family? Your parents and brothers and sisters; what're they doing right now?"

Blaze stopped eating momentarily and gazed off into the distance over the hills, looking at nothing at all in particular. The thousand-mile stare, they call it. He rested his head back against the gnarled, thick bark of the tree trunk, peering with an empty grin. The fiery orange in his eyes subsided for a moment.

"You know, I'm actually glad you asked that question," he remarked, smiling and gazing even further away. "Right now my uncle, a really strong Charizard, is the only family I have right now. He visits me sometimes, but with all the work he's doing, he's usually too busy. I don't have any brothers or sisters, so there's no story in that. My mother and father aren't here with me anymore, so nothing to say about that either. It's only me right now," he murmured.

"You're not saying your parents... died?"

"I'm not so sure. I hope not, of course!.. I mean, I think they're still around. I'm living on my own now and I'm strong enough, so I'm fine. I even have a house; Don't think anybody my age can say that, right?" he smiled proudly for a brief moment. "Look, I can talk to you all about my family, but that's a tale for later. My parents... they were good Pokémon," he snapped back, continuing to gulp down slices of the crispy apple - albeit a little less vivaciously.

Wow that weighed heavy. My parents - were they okay? They must have been awfully worried about me... what would Mom say, seeing me like this? What about my Dad? Ah, he'd probably tell me to train with his Mightyena - typical Dad - but still, I'm sure they were missing...

I started to try searching my mind for some more thoughts of home and my old life. Strange thoughts like trainers' school and hooded men crossed paths, reminding me that I used to be a human, but turning out into some unintelligible mess of memories. I gave myself a headache just thinking about all the thoughts in my mind - they seemed so recent yet so far away at the same time.

While I was thinking and Blaze was shoveling (his yellow tummy grew noticeably larger), a shriek shot through the sky.

"Somebody! Please help me!" some lady – er Pokémon perhaps – howled, startling Blaze and I. The Charmander dropped his apple in surprise.

"Huh? I hear shouting over there." Blaze remarked in confusion. I swallowed down the rest of my fruity meal, tossing away the gleaned core and taking a peek to the right.

A figure in the distance glided over the plains, her silver wings glowing neatly in the air as they frantically flapped toward us. As she came closer, I noticed her purple body - ooh, a Butterfree. Hold on, she flew right toward us at top speed. Crying too? Uh oh.

"It's horrible! My Caterpie fell into a cavern! My poor baby!" he choked, her pink compound eyes frantic and teary.

"What?!" we both yelled in unison, more surprised than before.

"A huge fissure opened up and my Caterpie fell in! He's too young to crawl out himself! When I went to go in and help, I got attacked by wild Pokémon!"

"Huh? You were attacked?" I curiously asked, "By other Pokémon? Shouldn't they be trying to help you instead of _attacking _you and your son?"

"They must be enraged by the fissure and out of control! That's what I think, and I'm not strong enough to fend off those Pokémon..." the poor Butterfree mother tried her best to explain. Her silvery wings shuddered at the thought.

Attacking her? Jeez, the nerve of some Pokémon to just attack a frightened mother while her kid's lost? I mean, sure I acknowledge some Pokemon are a bit territorial, but what's happening in this picture? I thought they'd at least listen to her; what kind of world was this place? Words fail me at this point.

She grew paler by the second. "Oh! What am I to do now?! I knew I shouldn't have left him alone! Oh why did I? Oh dear... oh dear..." By now, she was crying and unintentionally scattering Poison Powder as she quivered. Gah. Blaze and I backed away to avoid the purple smoke.

"M'am, please try to calm down," I futilely suggested to the shaking Butterfree.

"But please! My son is so young and he can't defend himself! Ahh.. if only I taught him earlier how to use String Shot... oh why didn't I? Curses! I shouldn't have babied him like that!"

"Now hold on madam..." Blaze started.

"B-but he's my son!"

I thought of a better, wilder way to console her.

"Don't worry, we'll find Caterpie and rescue him," I calmly replied.

I must have told her the right words, because suddenly she started crying in tears of joy "You-you kids will? Oh thank you so, so much!"

"Of course we will! Come on Liam! We can't just sit here! Let's go find this kid!" Blaze yelled out as he pulled me along, "Ma'am, where did you last see your son?"

"Over by Tiny Woods, shouldn't be too far away - maybe a couple minutes' walk to the east! I don't think he fell in too deep either! But oh... it worries me! Is he hurt? I shouldn't think such thoughts like that... Please you two, help me!" She was absolutely desperate. It sorta hurt me to see her cry like this.

"Relax Mrs. Butterfree. We'll get your son home safely; just wait here and we'll be back with him in no time," I assured her as she took a seat in relief and resignation.

"Blaze!" I yelled, "Let's go to Tiny Woods and find Caterpie!"

"Of course Liam; we have to hurry before he gets hurt!" he shouted back as we dashed into the direction of the nearby forest.

The Butterfree waited in the solace of the overhanging apple trees, watching two kids run off into the east. I saw her as she dejectedly sat down, fidgeting and sighing. I had barely waken up in this weird world - now I'm supposed to be fighting creatures double my size and going off on search-and-rescue missions? Not to mention remembering a strange encounter with a hooded man and a spooky dream in some spirit realm with the lady. Well, no time to think about that right now; I had to go and save Caterpie. You would think that running into a forest filled with hostile creatures with some stranger to save some lost kid would be a bad idea. Impulsive? Definitely. Hero? We'll see. Totally different from yelling "Mudkip! Water Gun!" and "Poochyena! Bite!" to loyal Pokémon at my side.

This time, I would be the one braving them, fighting Pokémon without the slightest clue how to fight.

* * *

Did I ever get to tell you how much I miss being human?

After leaving the hyper-stressed Butterfree to hopefully relax, we dashed for a couple of minutes through the late morning sun.

Correction:

While Blaze dashed, I _attempted _to run successfully toward Tiny Woods. Right as we walked away from the apple tree, I tried to get to the woods a bit more quickly.

In the shadow of the rising sun, I yelled toward Blaze. "Let's go Bla-_aaaugh_!" I cried as I splatted face-first into the ground, tripping over my own tail after attempting to sprint like any normal human being.

Oh wait right that's right; I wasn't a human anymore. At least I provided some relief for the Butterfree, who attempted to suppress a ladylike giggle.

Blaze, on the other hand, made no effort to hide his snicker. "You're still a Pikachu, silly," he laughed.

I pushed myself up and shot that cheeky Charmander a dirty glare. "I know."

"If you haven't already noticed, most Pikachu run on all four limbs. Try it, you might get around faster than you think," Blaze suggested.

Uh-huh. I tested that out with my short, stubby yellow arms and legs. I stuck them out and began to dash with two limbs in front of the other, then behind, then back again, running out into a shaky, er, gallop.

"Huh? Wait! Whoa, impressive! So much easier to run- or, dash, whatever you'd call it!" I exclaimed.

"Much better, but still awkward and not exactly a graceful gallop like a Rapidash," he replied.

I tried to sprint alongside Blaze, who was noticeably walking a bit slower.

"You'll get used to it," he said, "I have a feeling Pikachus aren't entirely the same species as humans are."

Me too Blaze, me too.

We passed the grassy plain where I woke up, leaving Butterfree to rest up at the tree. Hopefully no crazy Pokémon would attack her while we left. I awkwardly ran/tumbled quadruped-ly with Blaze at the lead. Hey, at least a bit faster than walking or human-sprinting right? Even a minute after, I seem to get used to dashing like a Pikachu. Speed. That's their best ability right? I pulled out a vague memory of Pokéology from class as a human. I should get the hang of this pretty quickly.

After a few minutes of dashing (and getting used to it), the maw of a dark, tree-covered forest started to come into appearance. The flat, green grassland abruptly stopped as tall trees suddenly came into view, blocking the way with their thick dark-brown branches. Columns of massive, gnarled trunks studded the entryway, leaving a distinct boundary between the sunny, grassy plains and the rather uninviting woodland. A cloud of grey mist divided the open plain and the woods. Looking further ahead I peeked at a couple cracks in the ground, ripping up soil, roots, and rocks while leading to fissures down below.

If I remembered anything from what the Butterfree said, this place clearly was where Caterpie fell into a crevice.

Blaze gazed into the gloomy, wall-like entryway, slowing down and catching his breath after running. "Here we are! (_pant_)! Tiny Woods! Just like where she told us it would be!"

* * *

For the purposes of this story, we're going to assume that Pokémon age at the same rate as humans, with the exception of some legendaries and more venerable species. We're also going to assume that Pokémon share the same units of measurement (hours/time, feet/length, etc.) to simplify reading - and writing.


	4. Chapter Three: Plight of the Arrogant

**Chapter Three: Plight of the Arrogant**

* * *

Apparently this is one of the easiest mystery dungeons I'll encounter. That's what Blaze said, anyway. I still remembered him snicker:_"But not as easy as running on four limbs!"_

Whatever.

We paused and caught our breath right before an archway of skyscraping trees. It's almost surreal how abruptly such a huge, dark forest just... popped out in the middle of this grassland. Like a black stain on a green canvas. A dark gray fog wrapped around the woods, blocking most of my view, save for a couple yards ahead of the entrance. Gazing up, I saw the top of the dark treeline almost block out the sun's light from the inside of the forest. Not too inviting, if you ask me.

"So we just look for this Caterpie and pull him out and return him to that Butterfree? Easy enough. Let's get this over and go home," I shrugged.

Blaze turned and looked at me with awful concern in his less-than-fiery eyes. "What's the matter?" I asked.

He hesitated for a bit, staring at the tall trees and their shadows. "Don't be too sure; it's not as easy as it seems. Tiny Woods looks like what we call a mystery dungeon." he replied, transfixing his orange eyes toward the towering woods.

"Hmm? What's a 'mystery dungeon'?"

"Ever since these natural disasters started occurring, all the rescue teams discovered these places show up. They just seem to 'pop out' in random places, like this plain."

"What's wrong with that?" I asked.

Blaze looked dead ahead. "Nobody knows how or why they appear. From what I've been told, they're an odd spatial anomaly. Unexplainable by any laws of science."

"So what's so different about a mystery dungeon? I mean, aren't we already inside one?"

"We've haven't even walked past the entrance, Liam. Inside these places are huge mazes which seem to contain more area than conceivably possible. It's like walking into another dimension, where time and space seem disregarded in favor of the dungeon's own laws. Funny thing is, no two dungeons are exactly the same, and even then, each dungeon seems to shift every time an outsider walks into one."

I smiled at his tall tale. "And what makes you the expert on dungeonology?"

I expected a bit of his cheery smile and a warm gaze from his bright orange eyes. Unfortunately, this time Blaze didn't share my humor. "Two things, mister. One: this has been something happening for quite a while; it's common knowledge. Two: I nearly failed to escape from one. Not so funny now, eh, Pikachu?"

"So a really bad maze, then," I awkwardly replied. The rotting smell of dead plants filled the muggy air.

The Charmander calmed down, his tail flame shrinking a bit. "Yes, but here's the bad part; these mystery dungeons - wherever they came from - are _destroying _the land, twisting whatever there was into a barren wasteland, and anyone caught in one when it pops up gets trapped in it. I've never seen any Pokémon leave from one. Even worse, they're spreading."

I pondered a bit. Maybe this isn't such a great place to explore after all. His explanation only fueled more questions. "But why are they appearing and spreading? And what's so wrong about some random forests?"

"I don't know how or why they seem to appear – that's something Zhish might tell us if I asked. But I – and every other Pokémon – know they shouldn't be here. You see that gray mist covering Tiny Woods?"

The grey mist blanketed the canopy, blocking out the sun's warmth and light. "Yup, I get it, but I don't see what's so bad about some mist?"

"That's exactly what I'm telling you. You remember how I told you about some malign force within the mystery dungeon? I think that's why the Pokémon attacked Mrs. Butterfree. I've seen territorial Pokémon for sure, but nothing like this; nobody in his or her right mind would just suddenly _start a fight _with a mother looking for her son."

"You're saying that the dungeon actually caused them to become aggressive?"

"Liam, the last few months I've seen dozens of these appear out of nowhere. After a sudden, odd natural disaster like tsunamis occurring in rivers or an earthquake occurs, these dungeons just 'pop up' all over the place, almost as if the mystery dungeon responds to the disaster. I used to visit Pokémon – friends of mine – who lived here, before any of this mystery dungeon and dark mist crap," Blaze pondered, trying to find memories of a more peaceful era. "When huge, black trees and dark clouds just showed up out of absolutely nowhere and surrounded their homes, I knew something went terribly wrong. My _friends_ lived in these places."

I peered into the entrance, seeing the thin dirt paths cross through the dead trees and cool fog. Cries of creatures filled the air, taunting us as we looked through the woods. My tail seemed to droop a bit in the humid heat.

"...and of course, you know that since they were literally trapped inside the anomaly, they were hostile to anybody - including me."

I tried striking up another question with the shaken Charmander. "So a trick house with enemies, right? I've been in one before. Heck, I think I've even battled in them," I enthusiastically replied while mulling over vague human memories.

"Good, because our objective is not only to rescue Caterpie, but it's also to _survive_."

Blaze turned away from the dark, crevice-studded forest and gave a toothy grin, trying to get past the conversation. "But we have some rescuing to do, don't we?"

I tried to smile. "Let's go find Caterpie before he gets hurt."

We silently crept into the woods with watchful eyes and worry in our minds.

* * *

**Tiny Woods B1F**

Okay, if Tiny Woods looked pretty miserable on the outside, inside it was absolutely gloomy. I don't think Blaze's explanation did any justice for this place. Tiny cracks in the ground opened up deep crevices; dark, thick tree trunks held up huge, twisted branches that blocked most sunlight; and gigantic rocks poked out of the ground and dotted the landscape. Dead trees and stumps dotted the forest floor as well. Maybe they should have called this place the "Lost Woods" or something like that.

I walked right alongside Blaze at an amicable, yet careful pace, holding his orange tail like a torch to light up the dimly-lit dirt path; even in the middle of the day, the sky was as bleak as dusk here. The labyrinthine trail led to endless side paths and winding roads. But so far, so good; we didn't see anything for the past five minutes, and all we did was walk into the forest. We ventured in deeper and deeper until the entrance faded away into the distance and the woods were dark with the shadows of tall, black trees and thick bushes.

"This is it, Liam," he said while keeping an eye out for... something. "We're in a real mystery dungeon. A sprawling maze of terror. Like all the gods decided to leave this forsaken forest alone."

"So how do we rescue Caterpie and get out?" I asked, casually kicking a small rock away from the dirt path.

"Uhm, well the last time I got stuck in one I climbed deeper down a hole - no I think I just went deeper into wherever I was. I think that's our exit to the rest of the world. It's part of that spatial anomaly thing I heard about; the deeper you dive in, the closer you are to the outside realm. Weird things like that. I mean, we're not exactly in the land of normalcy, of course."

"You're kidding now, right?"

"No, I'm dead serious!" he replied indignantly, "You get out of these dungeons by venturing further inside the maze! Just look around you - can't you tell that we're already walking deeper into the darkness?"

I threw another glance upwards. Nothing. Maybe the sky got a bit darker and some trees grew taller. Growls grew deeper and seemed closer.

"So when's the nightmare over, Blaze?"

He started walking closer to me and looked around a bit more furtively, his orange irises filled with worry. "Not until we get into the deep end."

* * *

**Tiny Woods B2F**

Well that was weird, but I we got thicker into this forest, somehow. It grew noticeably cooler. The air felt a bit heavier and slightly more humid, but the tall, endless tree trunks blocked out the sky with their dark, moss-stained branches. Mossy dirt scrunched beneath my yellow, furry feet, and the stench of rotting wood remained ever so pungent. A couple small bushes added greenery here and there. I guess even in this forsaken dimension, a bit of life still grows on. We plodded cautiously, screening the terrain for any surprises.

I still had questions stuck in my mind, itching to find the truth from Blaze. "So, uh, what's so bad about this place? I mean, it's kinda dark and you said there are some territorial Pokémon, but I don't know why-"

In a sudden pang of fear, Blaze immediately covered my mouth with an orange claw. "_Shhh_!" he warned in sudden fear.

"mmphphrm?"

"Quiet now!" he whispered in a low voice, still holding his arm around my mouth to silence me, "Do you hear that? I think I heard a couple – no, several – Pokémon moving around."

I pushed off his rigid arm a bit, "Toward us?"

"Unfortunately."

"Friendly maybe?"

"What have I told you for the past few minutes?"

"Okay, okay, so what do we do?"

"Stay calm, and don't move... I think."

"You _think?!_"

"Jeez Liam this is like the second time I've traveled through a mystery dungeon! Just stick close to me, and we'll figure something out. We'll make it out OK." he blurted as he tried to reassure me. I wish I could believe him.

I heard bushes faintly rustling in the distance. Come to think about it, I didn't notice anything strange like that until just now. Uh-oh. More bushes rustled, some sounding closer. Trees started shaking and leaves dropped. Did I just see a shadow move from behind that rock?

Stay calm. Don't sweat. Rangers tell us that they're more scared of us than we are of them. Usually. I wanted to move along quickly, but something told me that running away wouldn't be too helpful right then.

I turned my back toward Blaze, he turned his back toward mine. Perfect; 360 degree field of view combined. Could that help us? I saw more shaking foliage. Perfect. Hey, what's that? That big bush over there – it's..!

Literally jumping out of the bush, out came a cutesy-looking little, flappy Pidgey with drab yellow-and-brown wings. Aw. Huh?

There was something disturbingly wrong with the bird Pokémon. "Wha- what's wrong with its eyes? They were... glowing red! This isn't supposed to happen, right?" I stammered to Blaze. He nodded, this time without a clue for an answer.

Blaze slowly walked backwards. His back crept ever so precariously closer to mine. "S-stay back Liam! I don't know! J-just don't get close! Gah! This is worse than what they told me!" he chattered.

It flapped its small brown wings around, stretching and advancing closer. Ugh, I could even sense what it's feeling. Anger. Confusion. Hate. Directly at us. Calm it down now. Don't panic. Time to make a new friend?

"Hey there buddy..." I calmly spoke to it, "...how are you doin' today? Nice weather, isn't-"

An ear-splitting screech hit the air. "_How dare you trespass here! Get out of the forest!_" the Pidgey squawked, flapping to gain altitude and flying straight up.

"Uh, I'll take that as a no, then?"

Immediately, it dive-bombed straight toward my head.

"Wait! Can't we just talk it out?!"

Hmm, it seemed to be listening. Okay, it's slowly flapping down; no wait it's flying at top spee- WAAUGHHH WHAT IT ATTACKED ME OH SWEET RAYQUAZA PAIN PAIN AHH THAT HURTS

Owch!

Pain.

Hot, panging _pain._

It hit me straight in the head with its razor-sharp beak. What? Oh, a critical hit of course! Ugh... can't see straight... Seeing stars... I clutched my sore head. Just how low is my Defense? ...Wait, what, _that low_? But it wasn't even that effective! Ugh. This is going to be _so much fun_.

Argh.

_Painpoundinghotpain_.

Blaze turned around a full 180 degrees after hearing the sharp beak go _crack!_ into my skull. I heard a shrill cry, "Liam! Are you alright?!"

I stopped rubbing my aching head for a bit. "Yeah, I'm fine..." Come on now, get up. Pain subsided a bit. Still woozy. I tried to stay alert. Looked up behind Blaze's shoulder. Pidgey flew backwards, whew. It's going away... toward the rest of the group?

What there's four more where'd they come from?!

"What do you think you're doing here?" one squawked.

"Whoever you are, you came to the wrong forest."

Yet another laughed. "Are you asking us to hurt you?"

"This is our territory! Get that Pikachu out of this forest! No one steps in our forest! Get him, guys!" the largest one screamws. Is that a Pidgeotto?

Funny, they all have oddly glowing red eyes, seething with hatred. Who thought such a small feature could make a tiny Pidgey seem so scary?

Stop thinking! Look! Dangit, three more joined in. We became completely surrounded. Blaze lowers his body in some defensive stance.

Hey, they don't look so big when you look more closely, I thought with a feeling of strange confidence. You know what? I think we can scare them away! Maybe talking them down works.

"Trying to outnumber us now, eh? Wow, look how brave you all are right now! Bullying two Pokémon with five Pidgey! And a Pidgeotto to top the mob off? I bet you'll need more to even try to make us scared! I dare you, take your first move at us. Come on now, _en garde_, fight me like you mean it! This Charmander and I can take you all at once, no sweat!" I shouted confidently, the hope of survival briefly rising.

The Pidgey were initially stunned by my taunt. Hey, maybe it worked!

Wait. No it didn't.

Uh oh. Bad idea Bad idea Bad idea _Bad!_ Instead, they grew angrier and flapped their feathery wings. Two popped out of the thick forest canopy, flying into the fray. Eight now surrounded us. They madly screeched at the top of their lungs - using Growl to scare us? It's clearly working.

I wished I never said a word.

"Liam, that probably wasn't the wisest move." Blaze whispered, his voice quivering in fear.

'Oops' really isn't really the right word to summarize a blunder of this caliber.

The big one - a Pidgeotto - maniacally screamed at me. "You really think you're so tough?! Fine! I'll accept your puny _challenge. _Let's show you a lesson in pain and broken bones, then! EVERYONE, TARGET THE PIKACHU NOW! MAKE HIM _SUFFER!_"

The frenzy started. Four immediately dived straight down to Tackle me. Um, let's go? First battle as a Pikachu, I guess.

They're inaccurate, I hope. My Speed stat's pretty high too right? I'm a Pikachu! I'm naturally quick! Let's see how I do here... Get low. I dashed a few body-lengths forward, then rolled left, Poké-ninja style.

I jumped, leaping a surprisingly sprightly three body-heights into the air. A Pidgey's Tackle failed to make contact as I hopped over it - oh hey, it worked! Maybe that should- AUGH!

Of course, I got slammed before I found a chance to sneak away. Those Pidgey, why were they so fast?

And how come I've been getting so tired already?

Liam. Be careful. Conserve your energy. This is your first battle as a Pokémon. Wait, no forget that RUN NOW!

_Oof!_ Wait, too late?! A Pidgey landed another Tackle. Great. I skidded back a couple feet face-first into the dirt. Hello ground, nice to meet you!

Come on, get up, get up, get up, you're not that badly hurt-

OH LATIOS WHAT HOW DID THEY HIT ME BEFORE I GOT UP COME ON THIS IS SO UNFAIR AND PAINFUL

Slammed again by another Pidgey. Definitely a Quick Attack. So strong... Pain again. It's getting harder to push myself up...

Blaze! Where's Blaze? Where did he go?! Is he all right? Did they... is he...? No! I can't let that happen!

Come on Liam get up now! No time for pain anymore! I-I have to find him!

I look up again, and- _oomph!_

_Arrrghh ah ah oh no_ Tackled again!

Oh no... it's getting hard to see straight. Get up. I tried to escape now... no point in fighting... Blaze, where are you?

UGH! A Quick Attack right into my ribcage. Throbbing pain... I checked myself briefly. Gashes, bruises, wounds - all the like. Probably something broken too. Ugh, less than a quarter of my HP? Great. I shielded myself from the attacks as I tried to gain a quick, hopeless break...

But then... wait!

A voice boomed from behind. "GET OFF HIM, COWARDS!"

I weakly look upwards, and _SLICE!_

"AACK!" the big Pidgeotto yelled with raw, red Scratch marks newly imprinted on his side, "WHO IN LUGIA'S NAME DID THAT?"

The other Pidgey flapped around furiously to defend their alpha male from a berserking Charmander, who clawed at the bird Pokémon madly like there was no tomorrow.

"GET AWAY FROM HIM, NOW!" Blaze shouted, felling an unlucky Pidgey with a vicious Scratch along the way. His face, full of frantic rage, came into clear view. "ANYONE WANT TO FACE ME?!"

Taking the chance, I pushed myself up and shouted to him. "Blaze, forget them! Let's just get out of here!"

He turned around, and, seeing me, forgetting all about his desire for battle.

"Now Liam! Grab on; let's go!"

He briefly paused to extend his arm to me; I didn't need to think for more than a millisecond before latching onto his arm, finally pulling myself up from the ground. The Pidgey, stunned as they were, paused for only a brief few seconds, but this was more than enough time to get a head start on running away from this forsaken place. Blaze madly ran, pulling me along as I limped right behind. The Pidgey and their leader turned around, snapping back from their initial confusion and flew at top speed to greet us.

Blaze sprinted even faster, desperate to get out. "This way!" he cried, sharply turning to another pathway.

The angry flock – no, more like a swarm – of Pidgey rushed at us, squawking threats and insults laced with hatred. Angry beyond control, they gained ground closer and closer to us...

"Where do we go?!" I moaned in despair. I checked behind. Too many Pidgeys to count; probably more joined into the fray to rout us.

All hints of fury in Blaze's voice were now replaced by tones of fear. "I don't know! Just follow me! Don't think about it, look around!" he responded.

Run. Liam, you can't even defend yourself. Use your godly speed stat. Forget about your aching, battered legs – don't slow Blaze down! Just run.

_Run. Don't you dare look back!_

Whoops, I just did.

The alpha Pidgeotto screeched menacingly mere feet behind us, leading the pack with intent to maim... or something beyond that. "_Come back here now! AACK! You will fall! No prey ever escapes from Aviar!_"

Oh so that's his name. That one. You know what? I'm sick of letting him slam me like before. It's time to teach _him_ a lesson now. It's time for revenge.

I paused from running for a second. "Liam! What are you doing?! Come on!" Blaze cried.

I angrily yelled back. "No Blaze, I will _not_ let them do this to me!"

I tensed up my whole body, charging myself with an enormous bank of static electricity.

What in the world am I doing? How am I doing this... is this instinct?

The charge built up as I let my soul take control over my body. A brief moment of power and energy built up inside me. Seconds later, I couldn't hold it any longer. I spontaneously released the charge building inside my body and release a small, flashing, yellow bolt of electricity straight at the Pidgey.

_ZAP!_

Thundershock! I smelled something smoldering... it actually worked!

"Gah!" the bird Pokémon cried in sudden shock and agony.

Big Pidgeotto got zapped with my bolt, surprising him and his mob of Pidgey for a couple of precious seconds.

I laughed for the brief moment. "That's what I'm talkin' about!"

"Nice job! I didn't know you had that in you!" Blaze commended.

Taking the advantage of the squawking Pidgey, who were pausing to check on their leader, I peered to the left.

"Wait? Lookit that!" I jumped and exclaimed.

I frantically shook his arm. "Blaze! Look! Left!"

"What now?!"

"A crevice; I think we can hide from them in there!"

Now it's my turn to take the lead. "Come on! Let's – _aargh_ (my poor leg!) – go!" I pulled him, along left. I sprinted that way, not even caring anymore about my leg.

We dashed at full speed toward the stairs. Crap, the Pidgey gained on us! How did they cover so much ground already? They're in range to lunge at us. Keep running!

The depths of a gorge came into view. T-minus five seconds. We madly sprinted to the finish line, gaining invaluable inches ahead of the mob. Don't look back!

T-minus two seconds. A Pidgey tried to drive a Tackle into my backside. I can feel its bony wing trying to smash into me. Run a bit faster. Don't even think about how tired you are. T-minus one second. Shelter was mere feet away!... I think we can make it!

I cried a yell mixed with fear and relief as we made it deeper into the maze, away from the angry swarm. We hid in the deeper part of the crag, waiting for them to fly off. Touchdown!

The Pidgey stopped at the top of the crevice. They're not chasing us anymore?

"Huh? Why aren't they following us down?" I asked.

"Maybe they got stopped by something. Makes no sense," Blaze tiredly replied. "Doesn't matter, whatever hocus-pocus force is going on, it's giving us a break this time. Come on, I'm going downstairs," he huffed, disappearing into view as he walked down.

I made one final look backwards. The Pidgey's glowing red eyes stared back at me. If looks could kill, I'd be vaporized in an instant.

* * *

**Tiny Woods B3F**

We hopped off (or rather just plopped ourselves down) the descending gorge onto the grass-patched dirt below, too exhausted to lift ourselves onto our feet. Blaze and I lied down, panting hard for air and waiting until that aching pain in our lungs subsided.

"We... made it..." I weakly mumbled.

It's a wonder how I even made it here in one piece. Right now I can't even move a muscle without that pounding pain coming back. How in fact did I make it? Adrenaline rush?

"Ugh... yeah... let's just rest a while." Blaze moaned, his own wounds just as grievous as mine.

"Why would they – _ow_ – attack us just like that? How are they – _owch_! – so strong?"

"Maybe their (_pant_) anger just got the best of them. I've never seen Pidgey so aggressive and strong like that – _ugh_!"

"But they just came out of nowhere and started smashing me!" I feebly protested.

"Mocking them probably didn't help," he shot back, massaging bright red gashes on his dull yellow belly.

"They would have attacked anyway!"

"We had a chance to run, Liam, until you screwed up."

Oh yeah, right. I guess there's a lesson learned; hubris never pays off. Not unless you can back it up, but I obviously can't with such a terribly, _pitifully_ poor Defense stat. Better work on that. Ah, yes, my fighting skills too.

"... but at least you showed them an impressive Thundershock."

"Thanks pal," I smiled.

"...aaand you need to work on just about everything else. Being a Pokémon isn't that easy, y'know."

Sigh. That's true. I barely made it down here. If it weren't for Blaze...

"Blaze, I'm so sorry for doing that," I glumly apologized.

"Doing what?"

"Placing you in danger like that. It was a mistake, a horribly foolish mistake, for me to just taunt them like that. I guess I didn't know better. No! That's a lie. I knew better. I just... my pride. Yes, that's it. I should not not have done that. I'm so sorry," I mumbled, weak and tired.

"Liam. Please, don't worry. I understand. I really do. We all make mistakes, and perhaps this time you just made another blunder. I guess this only cost us some bruises and cuts, but just don't do that ever again, okay? We're too young to die like that!"

"Does that mean-"

"Apology accepted. In fact, you don't even need to say that. I'm here for you Liam. No matter how stupidly you act."

I rolled my head gently to the right and look at Blaze. "Well, on another note, do you think they would have, uhm... killed me?" I asked.

The fire-eyed Charmander turned his head and laughed a bit. "Heh heh. It takes a lot more than what we just saw to do that," he replied, "but you're still in pretty bad condition right now. It's best just to rest up a bit; you'll feel much better soon."

"Don't I need to spray on a potion or something?"

"A what?" he curiously asked.

"A- er, uhm," ohyeahright this isn't the human world anymore, "or how about a berry?"

Blaze blushed. "Gee, well, uh, yeah, I think I forgot to bring stuff along. Didn't think I'd need one to walk around, but then of course I woke you up and then we meet Mrs. Butterfree, and now a couple hours later we're here..."

"So what do we do?" I said, checking myself out. Yeesh, cuts and bruises everywhere. Something's probably broken too. Maybe my leg; I couldn't seem to move it without some flaming pain shooting at me. Ow Ow Ow. I didn't want to get up at all. Just get some rest...

"We just need to take a break and rest up a bit. Us Pokemon get over our wounds pretty quickly. Let's just take a breather, ok?"

No argument with that.

We lied down on the leaf-littered dirt path, quietly resting up while our wounds gradually healed over time. Too exhausted to move, I took a quick nap where I sat, drifting off into sleep...

* * *

Hmm.

Odd. I smelled something again. It smelled like smoke... Holy crap! Was something burning? Wait a minute, that smell, uh oh... déjà vu– GAH!

I cried as I felt a searing heat run through my poor backside. "FIRE! FIRE! MY POOR BACK AUGHH!"

_Ack! Not again!_

"Uh, sorry Liam, I just had to wake you up..." Blaze sheepishly remarked, pulling away his flame-bedecked tail. That tail of his is a truly dangerous weapon.

"Must you always have to do that?" I indignantly protested, damping out the heat from my back.

"Oh come on! You were asleep for way too long now. Remember we have a _mission _to complete?"

I lifted myself up with newfound ease. "Yeah," I sighed, "but you said we needed to rest up and- huh? What happened to you? How are you so, well, healthier-looking?"

"I told you, Pokémon heal pretty quickly - that's why we can battle so much, silly. Just look at yourself!"

Well let's see... I looked down, and hey! Funny, when I started napping I remembered there used to be a giant gash on my back from a Pidgey's talons clawing at me. I searched around the spot, feeling a crusty scab begin to heal over the wound area. Hmm... the bigger bruises were also clearing up and getting smaller. Even my (hopefully not broken) leg felt a bit better! I put on some weight, and, wow! Okay, I can sorta walk on it better now! I'm healing!- _Ow ow ow_. Not quite there yet though. But still, I felt better!

"It's good to see you doing well. Come on, let's get a move on right now! That Caterpie's waiting for us!" he urged, going ahead down the path.

"Oh yeah! Right, uhm, but first we gotta find him, so, any idea where he might be?" I asked.

"Mrs. Butterfree told us he was stuck in a ravine, guess that means we gotta look inside one of these gigantic crevices. I think he should be around here somewhere."

I walked a few steps over and peered into a nearby crack in the ground.

Oh. Goodness.

That's quite deep.

Backtrack. I could hear my echo from all the way down. I do _not _want to fall into one of those.

"Keep looking! He could be in any one of these," he yelled.

Like detectives snooping around in crime scenes, we carefully looked into every gorge we come across. Interestingly enough, we didn't see a staircase anywhere. Guess this means this was the deep end of the mystery dungeon.

A relatively brief couple minutes passed by, until

"WAAHH! Mommy?! Where... are you?" a scared voice cried from the inside of a gorge.

Yup, that's gotta be him. I ran to the direction of the voice. I stared down the ravine and peeked below.

"Hello? Anybody? Pleeeeease? HELP ME!" the voice – revealed to be no other than Caterpie – hoarsely sniffled.

Finally, at long last, we found him! I cried out to the Charmander right next to me. "Hey Blaze! I think we've got our lost Caterpie!"

Blaze rushed over and peeked into the crevice too. "Alright! Let's go down and rescue him!"

Fortunately, the gorge wasn't that deep – not as much as the other ones, which are frighteningly abysmal. The jagged rock-and-clay walls provided decent footing to climb down. In just a couple of minutes, we scurried down the brown boulders and reached the ground next to the frightened Caterpie. His beady eyes were drenched from ceaseless crying and his small green body curled into a fetal position; he was scared beyond belief.

"Hey there, Caterpie." I gently called out to him.

He spun around in surprise. "Huh?" he asked, bewildered. "Wh-Who are you?! Please don't attack mee!"

The little Caterpie quivered in fear. I can't blame the little guy... what would I do, out here all alone away from my mom and hiding from all the Pidgey?

"Relax; we're not going to do any of that. We came to rescue you. Your mom's waiting. Let's get out of here!" Blaze assured him.

Immediately, the worm Pokémon brightened up to a light shade of green. "Yay! Mommy! Ok!" he cheered. Still, he tended to cower away from the Charmander's blazing tail-fire.

"Come on everybody; let's go home now," I announced, "Hop onto my back, er, what's your name..."

"My name's Caz." the Caterpie replied, beaming at me with glowing eyes which radiated with wonder and awe. Kind of, uhm... perplexing, to say the least.

"Okay Caz, just climb on, and we'll get you outta here."

He latched onto my back tightly, thanks to his suction cup feet, and we climbed up the wall of the brown crevasse back to the forest. Not too difficult.

After clambering back onto the forest floor, we were ready to walk out of the forest with Blaze explaining that the deepest part of a mystery dungeon usually had an exit path or portal to the outside world until we saw-

Oh my sweet Latios why why _why_ not again.

-a small band of Pidgey, patrolling the area for intruders like us. They looked around, squawking a couple times. Luckily for us, they seem to be squabbling and arguing over something.

"Liam! Do you see-"

"Shhh! Don't say a _word_!" I quietly uttered, "Now follow me and let's move along real slowly so that-"

_SNAP!_

You gotta be kidding me.

A twig.

Did I just seriously do that. With my stubby little foot. Blaze shot an exasperated look while I felt Caz's sweatdrops of fear.

Oh great, now the five-Pokémon-strong band of Pidgey suddenly turned their heads toward us. We are in seriously deep crap. Urk.

In a brief, tense moment, Blaze and I locked eyes with each other, then we locked eyes with the startled Pidgey. We immediately backtracked, clinging tightly to Caz while eyeing furiously for a path outside.

"Three... two... one..." I whispered.

"RUNNNN!" Blaze yelled, grabbing me along and madly sprinting away for the second time now. The Pidgey instinctively chased us.

"Hey guys! Ya see that?" one yelled to his pack-mates, "Looks like dinner to me! Get that Caterpie, quick!"

I felt Caz latching onto my back even tighter, shaking with terror.

"Don't worry Caz, we got everything under control," I reassured him, "just hang on tight!"

We sprinted down the dusty dirt path between rows of skyscraping trees, half-seconds ahead of the pack of bird Pokémon who are flying toward us. Great, there's no staircase. Now what?

Hold on a minute, this means we're at the end of the dungeon like he said. There must be an exit somewhere!

Seconds later, a light-filled exit shone into view.

"This must be the way out! Come on Liam and Caz! Run!" Blaze screamed, pulling us along by the arm.

Pidgeys flapped harder. Might be possible that a couple were the ones who attacked Blaze and me.

I dashed even faster. We're going to make it!

The light became even brighter. The tall trees at the end arched over, with bright rays of light penetrating through the dark woods. We ran through the trees, narrowly avoiding the pursuing Pidgey as they screech at us, tormenting us to come back and fight them. The mad sprint to the finish line became a blur; the dirt path and trees gave way to open, grassy fields. Suddenly, like exiting out of a portal, we made it out of the forest and romped our way back into a grassy, sun-lit hillside.

We've finally gotten out of Tiny Woods!

"Haha! We did it! We made it out of our first mystery dungeon!" Blaze proclaimed proudly as we walked outside into the sunlight-drenched valley.

"All right!"

Somehow, within the few hours stuck inside of Tiny Woods, I've grown fond of grass and sunlight.

"Yay!" Caz cried, "Look guys! Mommy's here too!"

We both swung around to see a Butterfree flying at top speed toward her son.

"My dear baby! Oh, I missed you so much! Are you hurt? Are you okay? Ah, I shouldn't have left you alone there! I'm so glad to see you!" she gushed, crying and embracing her long-lost son.

"Me too Mommy! I thought I'd never see you!" Caz replies, warmly hugging her back.

Aw, even the sight of this even made me want to cry. Hey, is Blaze tearing up?

I turned over to him. "Hey Blaze are you crying too?"

His tail is flaming a bit more than usual. "Ah! Uh, no! I'm just hm... sweating from my eyes! The light's harsh, man..." he blushed.

"All right, whatever you say," I replied, watching and smiling at the reunited mother embrace her child.

Eventually, they calmed down. "Yes, my baby's safe. I'm so sorry, I don't know how I could ever thank you kids properly," she huffed.

Blaze spoke up. "Aww, don't worry lady. There have been a lot of quakes and fissures and disasters like that lately. It's dangerous. I'm honestly glad your little guy Caz isn't hurt."

"Please, may I have your names at least?" the Butterfree asked us.

"I'm Blaze, and this is Liam," Blaze replied, pointing to me.

"An interesting name for a Pikachu, isn't it?"

"Er... well, he's not from around the area," he quickly stated.

Caz looks at us, beady eyes twinkling with awestruck wonder. "... so cool..."

He, uh, stared at me adoringly. Those sparkly eyes... a little embarrassing. But this didn't feel too bad either. It's like I was a hero! Even though I did kinda lose to some Pidgey and a Pidgeotto back in the second floor. But helping Pokémon in trouble might be a good experience.

"Thank you so much Blaze and Liam!" Caz shouted, oozing with glee with a twinkle from his eye.

"I sincerely thank you as well. Here, I have something for you two," she said, pulling out some round objects from her leaf-and-silk purse, "I know it isn't really enough, but this is a token of our thanks. Please accept it."

She handed us three smooth, juicy-looking, and plump berries: Oran, Pecha, and Rawst. When you're a Pokémon I swear these things are like the size of fruits, or maybe at least things aren't quite the same in this world.

"Again, thank you so much. It's getting late and we have to go home now, so I think you two should also head back too. Good-bye, and hope to see you later," she says, hovering along with Caz close to her side. The two sauntered down the grassy hillside, heading back home, and become smaller and smaller into the distance until they became just little dots slowly walking into the sunset.

Blaze looked happily at me, relieved. "Hey, thanks for helping me out back there. You were pretty tough back there with the Pidgey. Did you see that wicked Thundershock? That was crazy! I never expected anything like that! And I respect it too, at least from a crazy guy like you," he smiled.

"Crazy?" I questioned incredulously.

"You woke up in the middle of a hillside and immediately claimed to be a human. Whaddaya expect?"

"Er, uhm, I still am, you know."

"Whatever, then. At least you were gutsy back there. That's not something I'd see normally in a Pikachu," he mused. "Usually they're quite timid Pokémon - so far the opposite of what I've noticed with you. Maybe you really might be a human..."

Am I blushing too? Oh dear... "Aw, don't worry about that; I just did what I had to do. And besides, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here in one piece, right?"

He chuckled back. "But I still don't believe a fairy-tale creature would just reincarnate as a Pikachu."

Whatever...

We lolled around aimlessly, watching the afternoon sun sink into the orange sky and sharing laughs about running from the hordes of Pidgey. The late afternoon passed too quickly; time flew as we joked and smiled. But this Blaze, the Charmander; I saw two sides of him today - an easy-going Pokémon who woke me up and a fierce warrior who saved my skin. Perhaps he's the partner the spirit lady talked about.

Like Caz and his mother, the sun also became a diminishing speck into the distance, gently fading away into time. "So, uh, what are you going to do? After this, I mean. Do you have somewhere to go?" Blaze asked me as dusk settled in.

"I, er, um have nowhere to go to," I answered flatly. "I mean, after waking up as a Pikachu in some faraway future land, I guess I'm homeless too,"

"No surprise to me this time. Say, Liam. If you don't have anywhere to stay, why don't you come with me to my house? I'll bet that's what humans do too."

Shelter! That means bed! And maybe food too! Aw _yisssss!_

"All right! Sure, if you don't mind."

"Not at all! Come on, it's getting late now," he smiled, looking up toward the orange, sunset sky. "Let's head back home now. We've had a long day; I'm sure we're both tired."

_GRROWWLLL!_

A deep rumble wailed from my stomach - I remembered eating nothing since the morning. I smiled back at Blaze, who nodded and giggled understandingly. We walked down the rolling green hills and plains and through the meadow, sauntering side-by-side toward home through the final hours of the setting sun.


	5. Chapter Four: Home, Spicy Home

**Chapter Four: Home Spicy Home**

* * *

"We're here! Home at last!" Blaze beamed as we reached the end of the dusty, beaten path from that Mew-forsaken forest known as Tiny Woods. Exhausted from walking home and being pursued from the Pidgey, we gave one final sprint toward the end of the trail underneath the star-studded nighttime sky.

The plain dirt path gave way to a stone tile walkway. At the end of that, a quaint, dilapidated, little two-story hutch appeared on the edge of a rocky outcropping. The house, haphazardly cobbled together with red-colored stone and wood, stands at the crossroads of a some paths. A tiny stream with rushing water flowed next to this tired-looking hut.

Blaze's home, huh? Looks more like a storage shed to me. Well, then again, maybe Pokémon don't need any fancy houses like humans do.

We reached the hut, which looked pitifully smaller the closer we got closer to it. Blaze opened the red door, giving gave a rusty squeak as he pushed it. "Come on in! I know it's not the fanciest... but please, just make yourself at home. I'm going to get something for us to eat."

I couldn't argue against food. I looked around his little living space while he scurried off.

The first floor of his "house" held little more than a cramped living area, strewn with a couple faded red rugs, a table, and some storage bins holding all sorts of goods from fresh berries to scarves to large, golden... coins? They used money in this world? A stack of haphazardly-placed papers lay dangerously close to a large brick fireplace. Of course, Blaze being a Charmander, it was already blazing with tall flames licking up the wood he just threw in - guess that means I'll never have to worry about being cold then.

Aaaaand that's about it. The whole house seemed barely larger than my room, but for some reason, I liked this place. Everything about the hut is so similar to a real house, yet meant for a Pokémon to live in. I'm a human being, but I felt weirdly happy! Maybe this is what it feels like to wag your tail...!

I heard a cry from downstairs. "Dinnertime!" Blaze yelled.

Ooh, I remembered that I haven't eaten since breakfast. My stomach growled in anticipation.

"Coming!" I enthusiastically replied, dashing down the squeaking steps.

I flopped down to the table with my mind indulging itself into the wonders of the succulent tastes of Pokémon food, arriving to be greeted by-

A small pile of shrunken Tamato and Cornn berries. Erm, huzzah? I cocked my head and shrugged my ears, wondering what happened to our dinner.

"It's not what you'd exactly call a fine gourmet meal, but maybe if you just imagined tasting it while eating, then I guess it'd be the same thing almost, right?" Blaze awkwardly smiled.

"No worries! Food is food," I gently, disappointingly reassured him. Ah, oh well. Food is food after all.

"Times are tough right now, Liam, with all these mystery dungeons and disasters popping up over farmland and orchards. I mean, come on! No one has the luxury to spend 50 Poké on a couple of apples! I, uh, hope you understand. Skyrocketing food prices, and of course I'm not exactly what you would call... how should I say... "living the rich Pokédream", eh?" he nervously laughed.

We both stood, staring at the pitiful pile of berries in hungry dismay. "I totally understand," I murmured.

"Oh but don't worry! I'm not totally destitute or anything like that - yet! Rest assured, we should never be _too _hungry," Blaze chuckled.

My stomach managed to release a loud growl. "Right. So, now's the part we start eating?"

"(_munch, smack_) I'm already ahead of you (_gobble, gulp_)" Blaze replied, swallowing down a whole Tamato berry.

I looked down at my modest pile of shrunken Cornn and Tamato berries. At least they're still a bit bigger than what I've seen at home - hey, why not give this Pokémon food a try? As far as I could remember, Pokémon like berries, at least before I became one. Let's take a bite of this Tamato.

Hmm, rich and juicy. Whoa wait, it changed flavors;

Oh wow, that's kinda spicy-

OH NO THAT'S HOTTTT AAAAAAHHHH MY TONGUE IS ON FIREEEEE _AIEEEEE_

I shouted as my tongue roasted in spicy pain. "Water! Water! Where is the water! No cup or bowl of water anywhere?! _Aaargh_! My poor tongue! _Aaaugh_! Oh! Yes! Empty bowl! I gotta run outside, hurry, hurry! Gogogogo! To the stream, quick!"

I rushed down to the coursing stream, scooping up and guzzling maybe dozens of bowlfuls of precious water to quench the flames of a berry probably meant for only Ho-Oh and Entei to consume. Blaze laughed his head off as he walked behind me, that little... fire-type. Maybe he ate these for fun too.

"Hahaha! You should've seen yourself! Ohohoh! Aah, your face, it's like you learned Flamethrower on your own! Ahahaha!" he roared, clutching his sides in a fit of laughter.

I ignored him as I tried to extinguish the fire on my tongue with more water.

He kept laughing and laughing, barely able to babble out more than a couple words at a time. "Ahahaha! You didn't even see that one sneaked in! I probably should've eaten that Spelon berry myself... but haha! Your face! Oho, way too precious!"

Wait a flipping minute; did he just say Spelon?

That Charmander is going to _die._

"Blaze..." I said calmly, "come over and hand me a hand, would you? I think I've got something to show you right here."

Blaze meandered over with the biggest grin. "Nice try. You really thought you could get me that easily? I mean, jeez, put a little bit of effort into your tricks. Did you believe you would trip me or something? Hah."

He waved it off and turned around, heading back inside. Perfect.

I quietly scooped up a bowlful of the cold, clear water.

"Hey Blaze, heads up!" I yelled, tossing the filled bowl.

He turned around in confusion. "Wha-Waaah!"

_SPLASH!_

The water soaked all over him and drenched the poor Lizard Pokémon, tail and all. Ooh, that looked painful. He winced in irritating pain as his tail simmered and smoked. Fire types _hate _getting wet - everyone knows that. Especially getting their fiery tails drenched.

Blaze started hopping around, grasping his wet tail and screaming like it got cut off. "OW OW OW! Nngg! _Aah_! Okay you win!"

"Thought I'd get you back somehow. Never knew I could do that so quickly," I grinned, satisfied with my revenge.

"Grr... I concede defeat. For now," Blaze growled, furiously shaking away the irritatingly painful water – at least for him – off his body and his tail.

"Are we even now?" I smugly asked.

"Hardly."

"Oh come on! That Spelon berry of yours is virtually berry-fied fire. I can still feel it tingling on my tongue."

"And you splashed my tail with water, my worst enemy. Your point is?"

"I'm a master at comebacks."

"Wow, I really thought that big Pidgeotto out at Tiny Woods was," he smirked, "maybe you should work on your _threats_."

I tried to protest, but words failed me. I couldn't help but wince at both his oozing sarcasm and the memory of that huge, savage Pidgeotto driving his rock-hard wing into my skull. I shuddered for a moment.

Satisfied with his response, Blaze marched back into his hut before I could retort, glancing back to see me stunned just for a few seconds.

* * *

After our eventful evening, we resumed finishing our now Spelon-free dinner rather quickly, vigilantly eyeing each other from time to time in case of sudden attacks. The dry, starchy taste of the small Cornn berries helped mitigate the overwhelmingly hot aftertaste. The meal was modest, but filling - not bad for the second meal on a different world.

We eventually settled down and sprawled near the roaring fireplace. Even on a warm spring night, the fire still felt comforting, like a big blanket of warmth. I smiled as I hug the frayed, red throw rug lying on the floor. Perhaps this is what Pokémon do to relax? I felt so much at peace right now. I mean, just today I woke up as a Pikachu in some Pokémon world, then almost got killed by a raging swarm of Pidgey in the middle of a mysterious forest, rescued a Caterpie to his mother, nearly burnt my tongue off, and now here I was, exhausted and ready to let sleep drift in...

Yet something didn't feel quite right. No, it's not about getting back at Blaze (or was he trying to get back at me?) but instead it's about him instead.

I gazed over toward Blaze, who was entranced in deep thought. But he looked so uncomfortable and distraught. Just an hour ago we were yelling and running around right? How did he change so suddenly, with such mercurial emotions?

Blaze contemplated for a moment, then he spoke up. "You know that fissure Caz fell into? There've been other natural disasters like that all of a sudden. In fact, take a look at this-"

Blaze turned around, fiddling with some newspapers. He showed me a copy, the_ Pokémon Times_, dated just yesterday. Conveniently readable for me - hmph, did that spirit lady also make me literate in Poké-speak? This might be the first useful thing I got from her.

Anyway, I grabbed the crumpled black-and-white paper. Just underneath the large title print lay a huge, color photo of something unsettling.

First the title: "Sudden Earthquake; Mystery Dungeon Spotted Over Thunderwave Cave, Over One Hundred Missing, Injured, or Trapped Inside"

Underneath sat a picture of dozens of injured, confused Pokémon, so helpless and weak. Behind them lay rocks and trees, strewn from an earthquake near a mountain in the background.

"And another one comes while we watched helplessly, unable to stop them from appearing..." Blaze trailed off, looking into the flames. "All we can do is rescue those stuck there - and what if we fail? They just get consumed in time, becoming one with the dungeon," he glumly conceded._  
_

"These disasters and mystery dungeons keep popping up everywhere now," I remarked while reading through more news about floods, wildfires, and of course, the spatial wastelands that pop up afterwards.

"Is that why we rescued the Caterpie?" I asked.

"Yes. Liam, I want to help Pokémon like Caz and the injured ones in the photo. I want to make this world a safer place for Pokémon. But I want to do more! Look at me, living in this little hut, doing nothing. I want to fulfill the legacy of my late parents and my uncle, who were all great rescuers. At least until they left... but my uncle Inferno is still alive and rescues every day. I want to be like him - I want to be someone!" he, with the twinkle of determination in his eyes, asserted. "And uh, I think you're real capable after seeing how you did rescuing Caz. I mean, sure, you were pummeled like a wet rag by a couple Pidgey,"

Did it just get like 30 degrees warmer in here, or was that the embarrassment flushing into my cheeks?

"But you refused to give up. Even when you were at the brink of consciousness, and maybe life. And without you, I don't think we could have rescued Caz. I really respect that."

"Thanks, but wasn't it _you _who saved me from that Pidgeotto?"

"Yes, but it was also you who led me – and later Caz too – away from the flock even while your leg was clearly broken," he commented.

"Hey, it was just an adrenaline rush."

"No Liam, I can see it. You've got something special in you. I think you're something; maybe you just don't know it. Who knows? Maybe we can be great rescuers like my parents," he reminisced.

_Oh boy here it comes!_

Blazed looked at me dead straight, eye-to-eye. "Liam, how would you like to form a rescue team with me? I think we'd make the world's greatest rescue team. Maybe greater than Team ACT and my parents. Maybe greater than Lucario's team. How about it?"

"Yes. It would be an honor!" I returned.

"Okay then! Staring right now, me and you, we're partners in our very own rescue team! I'm counting on you!"

"Aww yiss! All right!" I cheered. "So now what do we do?" I questioned.

"Hmm... I think we're supposed to receive a starter kit from the Pokémon Rescue Team Union's headquarters or something. There's been a huge demand for rescuing, so lots of teams like ours have started up. I think we should get something in the mail tomorrow - I ordered one a couple days ago," Blaze explained. "Oh! Wait! We need a team name! The team's name... well, I haven't thought of one yet," he humbly confessed.

We scratched our heads, wondering what to do about our little impasse. Oof. Hmm... that's hard to think of.

"Well maybe when we start our first _official_ mission we'll figure out something, right?" I casually replied.

Blaze subconsciously looked upward, racking his brain for something. "I guess so. Until then, our temporary name should be _Team Poképals_! No, too dopey... or _Team Go-Getters_! Nahh, still too kiddish..."

"_Team Absolution_! Weellll... kinda too serious on that thought too..." I conceded.

"_Team Remorse_! Ach, too depressing for a rescue team like ours," he muttered.

"_Team Destructor_!"

"You're kidding, right?"

I think by then we were joking, judging from the faces Blaze and I make whenever we come up with another name.

"_The Ultimate Team_!"

"_Team Justice_!... or, _The Water Team_!"

"What about Team Spelon, or Team Pidgey-Hunter?" he snickered.

I blushed a smile, unreplying.

He kept chuckling to himself. "Hahaha! Oh dear, this is too funny! But maybe we'll think of a cool name later. _YAWN _Well, I'm tuckered out. I think it's time we get to bed right now," he added.

I'm kinda tired too... _YAWN _oh boy, running from raging Pidgey, rescuing little kids, everything. Guess it's time we both go to sleep too. I took a peek outside the windows on the side, glancing at the moon's silvery reflection.

Exhausted from the day's events, we both trudged ourselves up the moonlight-splattered staircase to the loft above. Walking up a small flight of creaky wooden stairs, I spied a smaller loft which held two comfy-looking mats and some more storage containers. Two round, red mats lay there for us to sleep on. No blankets or pillows or anything? Well I guess Pokémon are like that... not complaining though. Even if it's just a small, circular mat, it looks just so darn comfortable.

Was I already getting used to being a Pokémon? Who cares, I got awfully tired...

We flopped down into the plushy mats, stained with dark splotches of discoloration after years of use. "Aahh..." I exclaimed, letting my consciousness slowly drift into sleep.

"We've worked hard today. I think we've earned a good night's rest," Blaze remarked.

I grinned, content in agreement. "We went through a lot today; I think we earned ourselves a good rest. I guess this is what it feels like to be a rescue team. This could be real fun," said I.

"Sleep tight Liam," Blaze tiredly remarked.

I manage to yawn out four words before sleep grabbed a hold of me. "You too. Good night..."

The world became black as I finally found a modicum of peace in this strange new world.

* * *

...

This again.

...

Hmmph. Where was I? This felt familiar. I saw the same waves of color in motion, just like yesterday. I could see a figure in the distance. A bit blurry though. Oh no! Is it this dream again?

_You're right! Welcome to the land of Pokémon, Liam. _

**_That voice - you! How did you get here? More importantly, who exactly are you?_**

_Let's just say I'm like the guardian Pokémon of your dreams. You see, I can't exactly talk with you in person, but I can easily communicate with you this way. I have special means and ways - remember, I'm the one who crafted you this form. _

_**Uh, okay. Hey, wait a minute, that reminds me, why am I a Pokémon all of a sudden? Why did you change me?**_

_My, you are asking a myriad of questions. That's for you to find out soon - you'll find out. The right time will come for me to explain. _

_**Wait, what? Hey! Don't leave! Come back here! Please? Where are you going?**_

_You are about to wake up now. You're getting used to your new body as a Pikachu, so you're going to have some side effects like insomnia. Get plenty of rest though, you're going to have a busy day tomorrow. Don't worry, I'll see you soon. Take care, and farewell, dear child. _

_**Huh? Insomnia? Hold on, that means-**_

(pop!)

Mmmph. Can't seem to get any sleep. Moonlight still splattered through the window above, letting in an annoyingly distracting flood of shining silver.

Blaze was fast asleep, resting on his back and silently counting Mareep.

I got up and took a good look at myself through the reflection of a window. I'm still the same. Any way I look at it, I'm still a Pikachu. But why would I be transformed into one? That lady in the dream never told me. Hmm... I didn't understand this at all. She told me that now wasn't the right time. But I couldn't even fight against a couple of Pidgey. Maybe it's too early to say, but why can't I do anything right? What am I doing here? _What am I?_

Ugh... not feeling too well. She's right. I'm getting used to being a Pokémon. So tired... I need more sleep.

* * *

...

Sniff, sniff.

Hmmm. Smelled smoky. My back felt strangely hot too.

Uh oh.

Not this again!

_Hothothothothothot_

"Gah!" I yelled, jumping out of my sleep.

"This seems to work pretty well for you," a voice snickered right next to me.

"My poor back! _Auughh!_ I'm okay; for the love of Latios please stop!" I cried, patting my aching, charred spine. "By the end of the week you'll turn my brown backspots into black chars!" I whimpered in protest.

"Come on now, up and at 'em lazybones!" laughed Blaze.

"Must you always do that to wake me up?" I asked, clearly annoyed that this was third time he's done that to me.

"It seems to function perfectly fine for late risers like you."

Late risers? You gotta be kidding me.

"_Groan..._" I muttered, looking out the window - and it was still dark. "But it's not even sunrise! How in the world do you call me a late riser?!"

"Oh come on Liam, rescue teams are always punctual and early wakers. Lost Pokémon can't wait forever for us to wake up, y'know."

"And who made up that rule to wake up _this _early?"

Blaze gave me another one of his big grins "You could say it was a guide my uncle always lives by. You see, he gets up before the crack of dawn..." he responded, going into a hearty drabble.

Ah yes, his uncle. Inferno, a member of the three-Pokémon-strong Team ACT. Blaze kept droning on and on about him during the walk home, gushing about his numerous ventures into dangerous lands and successes in rescuing lost travelers or arresting powerful criminals or recovering arcane artifacts. He kept talking about the revered Charizard and how he's basically aristocracy and "by nature a most amazing rescuer" and all that. You could say he's a father/hero-figure to him, since he's lost his parents, who he really hasn't mentioned since I first asked him near Tiny Woods.

Anyways, about waking up... well, note to self: falling asleep, waking up late, or even _thinking _about doing either warrants a swift blast of fire from an Ember-happy Charmander.

"So, Mr. Burn-a-lot, what's our big plan as a rescue team for today? What should we do on this lovely morning?" I inquired, the sarcasm dripping from my grouchy waking mood. I am not an early-morning person, er Pokémon, and Blaze's antics probably won't help that. At least I was feeling a bit better than a couple hours ago, but the way I see it, I'm still a Pikachu, and that probably won't change anytime soon...

Blaze shrugged, tacitly suggesting he had no plans for the day. "Eh, I actually woke up just in time for the Pelipper Mail Delivery! Come on!" he excitedly replied, grabbing me with him as he ran downstairs and out the little hut.

It was cool outside. The sun barely reached over the sky, painting the dark horizon with a very slight tinge of orange. I felt the dew soaking underneath my feet as I trudged across the grass. Blaze clearly didn't like that feeling, so he hopped down the stone path down ahead.

What's that? Something in the distance was approaching...

Oh! A Pokémon! It was flying, flapping its way toward us. Pretty early for a wake-up call, huh? Ah it's coming into view, I could see it now: a yellow-billed Pelipper with a mail satchel hanging over its wide, blue wings. They even have a postal service here? Well, not as good as email, but still, that's quite impressive!

_Flap! Flap! Flap!_

"Yello! Delivery for Blaze!" the flying – and, by the sound of its voice, female – Pelliper shouted.

"Good morning Avianca!" Blaze happily whistled as she perched onto the rusty mailbox.

"Yaarp! Good morning to you too!" she squawked, "And who is this little friend of yours?" she then asked him, eyeing me curiously.

"Oh! That's Liam; he's uh, new around here, and he hasn't got anywhere to stay. He'll be staying with me."

I eyed Blaze whisper quiet, secretive words to Pelly, and she nodded in apparent sympathy.

"...you think he'll be all right, Blaze?" she hummed.

"...well he'll fit in just fine I think..."

"...and what about the others? What'll they think? What about old grouchy Dràghi? You know he doesn't exactly patronize newcomers."

"...I'll teach him everything I know, he'll be okay..."

She gave me a worried, motherly look for about a half-second before turning back to Blaze.

"Mm, mm, mm..." they gossiped on. I was a bit confused right. Dràghi? What, an old dragon-type? Other Pokémon like Blaze and Avianca (and hopefully none like the Pidgey)?

Anyway, Avianca straightened up, beaming a friendly smile toward me. "Well, I hope you come to like our town, Liam! Oops! Silly me, dawdling all day and forgetting to deliver your package! Yep!" she exclaimed, pulling out a small, brown box labelled 'RESCUE TEAM STARTER SET TYPE A #0147 – EXPRESS SHIPPING'. "This came in all the way from the Rescue Team Headquarters; it's for you kids!" she cheerfully announced, handing it to us.

"Yap! Gotta leave now! I have to deliver the rest of the mail!" she shouted, flapping away.

"Bye Avianca!" we both yelled as she flew off toward the slowly-rising sun.

Immediately, we eagerly tore open the package – apparently Blaze knew what was inside.

"I've been waiting for this! Haha! Here it is! They always give these to new rescue teams like ours," he cheered, pulling out hm, let's see... a couple shiny white-and-purple egg-shaped badges – seems like they're physical proof of rescue team membership –, a rugged, folded-up 'toolbox' (it was labelled that) resembling a messenger bag, an instruction manual ("Who has time for that?" Blaze impatiently muttered), and a copy of today's _Pokémon Times _issue, all neatly folded into the box.

"Yeah! Look at all this good stuff! Look at all the loot, Liam!" Blaze whooped, ogling over each item.

I admit, I became excited too. "Wow! So now we're a whole, new, official rescue team?"

"Er, not quite, we haven't got a name yet, and we gotta register that at the Pelliper Post Office, but other than that, we are!" he proudly announced.

Joy, indescribable joy. I haven't felt such a vibrant feeling in a long while; it's amazing what just a simple friendship can do. I cracked a smile just as big as Blaze's when he first saw me wake up from that field yesterday.

"Hooray!.. so now what?" I asked.

A bit dismayed, Blaze tried to search his brain for ideas. "Hmm... I guess we just have to wait until we get a rescue request," he glumly discovered.

Aw... I guess we've got nothing to do. Hmm. If we were getting rescue jobs we'd be receiving some mail, right? Our mailbox was pretty empty. Maybe that's because we were new and nobody knew us yet.

Hold on, this gave me a great idea! I nonchalantly approached Blaze. "Welllll, since no mail is coming our way for now, I think it's high time we _yawwwnn _get some more sleep, right?"

Uh oh. Judging by the annoyed look he's giving me, Blaze wasn't too keen about that idea. Huh? OH WHAT NOT THIS AAAAARGH!

DUCK NOW.

A ball of fire narrowly missed my head, instead making contact with a rock, singing it completely black.

"Yeesh! Blaze, can't you take a break?" I shrieked.

"Rescue teams don't take unnecessary breaks," he sourly rebuked.

"Come on, aren't you a bit tired at least?"

"Apparently Pokémon don't need as much sleep as you humans do," he scoffed, "and you're still getting used to your new Pikachu body, so here's a feeling you might get down the road!"

Wait, what?

Oh, look at that, he's- aaaugh! Dear Latios _no!_ _OUCH!_

This time, his Ember connected, the ball of fire he belched nicking my legs. I howled in pain as it burned away. "Ow! Ah! Blaze, what on earth are you _doing_?!"

The fire-happy Charmander smirked. "Helping you get used to dozing off. Simple as that. By the way, if it keeps burning you might want to eat up the Rawst Berry the Butterfree gave us. I put it in the bag in case we need it; too bad it may be right now."

I groaned as I quietly waited for it to subside, clutching my pained legs. I saw a figure in the distance flying toward us... Hmph, another Pelipper is coming over. Oh wait, it's Avianca again?

She excitedly flapped, dropping off a letter while hurriedly squawking. "Yikes! Dear oh dear! Silly me! I forgot to give you this letter along with that package; I thought you guys should take this since you're new and all and perhaps needed it... and Liam, I know you're new and all to our town, but you shouldn't burn yourself like that! It's not healthy for you! What have your parents taught you when you were a Pichu? Gotta go now, see you kids later!"

Before I could thank her or, more importantly, protest that it was Blaze's fault, she flew away. Apparently she thought I never was a human? But isn't it obvious I was not a Pokémon?... well, for obvious reasons, maybe should be easier and safer to convince others that I'm a Pikachu than a human. At least the pain's starting to fade away. Guess that means I'm not burned or anything.

"Hm? What's this?" asked Blaze, picking up the letter. It was labelled "TO ANY RESCUE TEAM IN PARTICULAR". Ooh, a mission!

Blaze opened it, revealing what seems to be a hastily-scrawled, one-page request. He read the letter, which spanned no more than a single paragraph.

"TO ANY TEAM:

BZZ! BZZ! BZZ! PLEASE! WE NEED YOUR HELP. MAGNEMITE IS IN TROUBLE. A BIG ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVE HIT THE DUNGEON WE WERE LOST IN, AND IT FUSED TOGETHER TWO OF OUR MAGNEMITE FRIENDS. THAT IS NOT ENOUGH TO FORM MAGNETON. THAT ISN'T ENOUGH TO COMPLETE THE PROCESS. IT IS TOO DANGEROUS FOR US TO GO INTO THE DUNGEON OURSELVES. PLEASE, WE NEED YOUR HELP TO RESCUE BOTH MAGNEMITE. MEET US AT THUNDERWAVE CAVE ASAP. BZZ. BZZ. BZZ.

FROM THE MAGNEMITE."

Well that was brief. But how in the world does a mystery dungeon do that? There's something pretty powerful about them, right?

"What do you say, Liam? Should we go for it?" Blaze asked.

Of course, I think he already knew the answer.

As he unfolded the letter and neatly tucked it into the 'toolbox' bag, I gave him a grin. "Looks like our first official rescue mission is about to start!"


	6. Chapter Five: Running Away Again

**Chapter Five: Running Away _Again_**

* * *

The first thing I noticed about this rescue team business is the awful amount of _walking _involved. Even when we left at the crack of dawn, we still plodded along the dirt trail while the sun climbed over the horizon and above the sky. The mission didn't even start, yet I felt weary from the trek already. Lugging a heavy bag of berries didn't help that out either. Hours and hours of hiking every mission... this is going to be so fun!

"According to this handy map," Blaze said, ogling over a large, colorful sheet – there were other goodies like this one in the package – "after we cross that river and climb the mountain over there, Thunderwave Cave should be about... only another hour's walk from here! Oops, silly me; we have to go _around _the valley actually, so maybe two hours wouldn't be a bad estimate. Still, that shouldn't be too far, right?"

Ugh. We've been trekking for the past three hours already, I think. I lost count. Who cares? Call me impatient, but walking for hours on end isn't what I'd call top-notch rescue team activity. Where were we? I didn't expect a stupid cave to be so far from home.

"Uh-huh," I replied, toying with that strange dual-toned badge for the 9001st time. It shone oddly as I tinkered with it - perhaps it relayed something to the rescue teams' headquarters. "Anything else you can enlighten me about?"

"Well, there's the rescue team manual if you want to read that. Maybe you could enjoy the scenery around here a bit too," an unsympathetic voice answered.

"I've already read through the first three chapters – something about items in page 12 might be useful by the way – and why don't you?" I pouted.

"Meh, who needs a hunking book like that to rescue Pokémon? All you need to do is get the rescue request, go to the mystery dungeon, and find the one in distress. The same routine every day!" Blaze chuckled, folding away the map into his packed messenger bag slung over his shoulder.

"Whatever, you'll probably need it sometime soon," I vaguely replied, feeling around for that little sturdy booklet in my own bag. I grabbed it and pulled it out, flipping through its fine-print pages.

Let's see... page 12... ah yes! The heading titled: _Maintaining Health_. Hmm...

"...s_everal types of berries with loads of healthy, beneficial effects to a rescuer like you can be found on trees or even on the dungeon floor. These foodstuffs can also double as medicines. Oran berries, for example, give a hearty boost of energy and speed up a Pokémon's natural wound-regenerative capabilities. Having a tough outer skin, they aren't so difficult to keep around either, but they also tend to dry out over time. Pecha berries, though difficult to store due to their soft and sticky fruit, contain large doses of detoxifying agents which can heal even progressively worsening poisons - not to mention their use as a delectable dessert item..."_

I looked up from the book and viewed the land we plodded through. Clean air, sunny day, a bit rocky where we were headed, and a small stream rushing beside the dirt path. So pristine, so nice... maybe if I enjoyed nature a bit more, this walk wouldn't be so bad after all...

Maybe I should even sing a song too!~ Get my mind onto something soothing!

"~La da da dee, passing through every rock and tree, into the mountains and over the land, isn't nature just so grand?~All the world's a fair game of nature and sky, my oh my!~

...

"Awww, who am I kidding! I hate walking around like this and doing nothing!" I shouted, scaring Blaze out of his wits.

"Yaargh! Yaargh; ambush!" WHOA THAT WAS CLOSE DID HE JUST ATTEMPT TO EMBER ME. "What-? Oh, just you Liam... please don't do that next time, mkay? You almost made me drop the map!" he cheekily smiled.

Blaze and his precious map. "I'm sorry, but come on! Isn't there a faster route or a shortcut labelled somewhere on that precious map of yours?" I asked.

"Well, hmm..." he answered, studying the paper furtively. "There seems to be this path... mhm, labelled 'Rockfall Underpass'; I think this should lead us directly to Thunderwave Cave. Maybe, oh, only ten or fifteen minutes to the dungeon from here? But it's marked as dangerous - you see that little red symbol? - so I'd rather not go through there."

Music to my ears!.. and I have just the plan to get us there right away! Oh, danger symbol? Who cares!

"So Blaze," I casually cajoled, "what's this "Rockfall Underpass" like?

The Lizard Pokémon pointed to a nearby beaten path leading to a small rocky canyon, holding out his map in front of him like some sort of lost tourist. "It's a rocky valley near the cave, and that path over there leads to the underpass, meaning-"

"Alrighty playtime's over let's go go go thataway!" I yelled, grabbing Blaze by the arm and dashing to the apparent direction: a beaten path leading to a small rocky canyon.

"Liam, wait!" he complained, "I don't think this is such a good idea-"

I pulled his arm harder as he tried to resist. "Yeah what_ever_ this is going to be so much faster!"

He started to hesitate and pout. "But the map says-"

"Y'know if you stopped looking at that map and started looking _around _you, we would have already been at Thunderwave Cave!" I yelled, and-

_YANK!_

Plucked his silly paper from his hands to put my plan into motion!

Initial shock quickly precipitated into fury. Well that's a lovely change of colors your face went through, Blaze. "HEY!" he angrily shouted, "What're you doing with that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Want to find out?" I teased.

"NO! Give it back this instant, you little rotten Pikachu!" he fumed. Wow his tail is burning up like- OH CRAP HE'S RUNNING NOW!..

Wait, he's not that fast at all! I took this golden moment to tease him again. "Not if you can't catch me! Nyahahaha!~"

"Stop playing games with me and give that map back! If we get lost _you are so dead!_"

I clutched the map and waved it high in the air, running down a small, stony path which lead to – you guessed it – Rockfall Underpass. Good thing I got the hang of sprinting on four limbs – I think I got used to being a Pokémon.

He furiously sprinted and chased me like there was no tomorrow, and my yellow-and-brown tail whipped right in front of him. This was _hilariously_ entertaining!

"LIAM YOU DIRTY THIEF! I get what you're doing but I need the map!" Blaze roared, madly running for me with his little legs.

"But can you catch me – if you can?" I remarked, passing by a couple huge grey boulders and cliffs – we're pretty deep inside this rocky valley.

"This isn't a race!"

"I know silly, it's a chase, and you're losing!" I laughed, tucking the map back in my bag and dashing madly away, legs trotting across the bone-dry, rocky ground and sprinting without catching a breath. I dodged a poorly-aimed burst of Ember as he struggled to keep up the pace.

Pikachu are naturally much faster creatures than Charmander – did you know that? "Nyahah! You're too slow!" I mocked. Oh, look at him; he was already losing steam! What, it's only been a mile and he's pooped like this? Guess it's good to be a Pikachu like me!

"_Ngh!_ Liam, I swear when we're through with this I'll– WAAGH-_Umph!_ Ouch..."

OH MY LATIOS DID HE JUST TRIP OVER _I CAN'T EVEN_

"Grrrr! (_pant_) Come on! (_pant_)" he fumed, pushing himself up from the dirt, "I just want it back!"

I slowed my pace to a jog just to aggravate him a bit further. "Tired already? I'm just getting warmed up!"

"Okay! (_pant_) You win! Look, we're already pretty deep into the underpass, (_wheeze_) can't you just return it?" he begged, breathing hard from the sprint.

"What's the magic word?" I ask the utterly tired Charmander.

"Ugh. (_pant_) _Pleeeaseee_?" he spat, too pooped to run.

"Hmm... fine! Here you go!" I giggled as I tossed his precious map back to him.

He caught it, indignantly snorting back at me. "Hmph. It would've been so much (_pant_) easier if you just asked."

"Maybe. Maybe. At least you got good exercise and we arrived a bit faster, eh?"

"Not helping," he puffed, finally catching up to me.

"Ah, oh well, maybe you could enjoy the scenery around here a bit?" I remarked – something Blaze might've told me a couple times while we romped for the past few hours on the trail to Thunderwave Cave.

"Using my quotes for irony," he noticed. "Har-har Liam."

Let's see here... huge boulders, a rocky valley, some greystone caverns... we should be well into Rockfall Underpass.

We strolled at a slower pace, tired from the mad chase. Blaze, reunited with his precious map, seemed to be calming down a bit, smiling a little more now. All the hoopla and whooping of the race calmed down, and as we neared a speck of a cave in the distance, we felt the wind of the valley gusting by. A little duststorm of gray gravel, and the cloud of pebbles quickly died down. I, for one, kinda enjoyed the change of scenery. It's quite barren, like some lost wilderness. The rocky gravel and grey sand scrunched underneath my feet while a cool breeze rushed through the valley. Refreshing.

At least for now. If Tiny Woods was a rotting, dead forest inside, who knows what Thunderwave Cave is like too? In fact, why was Tiny Woods like that? I mean, right in the middle of a lush, green valley, a sprawling land of darkness and barren decay... like the life was sucked out of the forest. The trees, all dead. The sky dark, and nothing green at all, save a couple berries and grasses strewn around.

Another cool gust of wind flowed through the valley, this time stronger and accompanied by a soft, mellow rumble...

...

Hold on, _rumble?_

Uh oh.

I glanced back at Blaze. He grimaced knowingly, giving me the "I told you so" look. A couple pebbles on the ground jittered and vibrated. Something wasn't right.

_rumble rumble_

I paused, staring at the dust storm that brewed up, then I saw the grey, cascading rocks above.

_rumble rumble RUMBLE_

The humongous chunks of greyrock fell gracefully from the edges of the cliffs, tumbling and grumbling like a percussion symphony. Blaze kept ambling along, shaking his head with a chuckle.

"So that's why they called it Rockfall Underpass," Blaze sardonically mused as the boulders, along with the cloud of grey dust, began to roll down into the valley...

...toward us?!

For the second time today, I clutched his arm and sprinted away. "Blaze, shut up and get moving!" I yelled while pulling him forward.

He finally realized the danger we were in and started to sprint too. "Tch, Liam! We haven't even started our first mission, and this is the second time I'm running away from doom because of you!" he muttered. "Can't you just give me a break?"

I tried to ignore his sassy comments as the tumbling rocks rumbled their way toward us. "Okay! Okay! I get it! Just shut it and run faster; I'll figure it out once we get there!"

"If we're even alive!" he returned as the boulders gained on us.

_RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE_

The cloud and the rocks roared closer as the end of the valley was nowhere in sight.

"Just keep running! Don't stop!" I yelled above the deafening rumble.

Blaze nodded in agreement as he finally comprehended the situation. Just feet behind us, the rolling rocks began to accelerate while I already began to tire from the sprint.

_RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE_

_"Come on! We're almost there! We can make it!" _I hoarsely cried while the rocks and gravel roared above my voice. The thick cloud of dust began to outrun and choke us.

The cloud blurred my vision while the tumbling boulders only rolled down the valley faster. "(_gasp)_ Exit is- (_gasp_) where?" Blaze coughed.

_RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE_

The deafening rumble of the rocks were mere feet behind us; we were losing a downhill battle. Chips of stone flew everywhere as the flood of dust and rock grew.

Yet in the cacophony, even as we madly ran for our lives, a soft voice of peace entered into my mind.

_"Liam."_

I noticed, without hesitation, the motherly spirit's voice calling for me inside. Calm and reassuring; something I needed at this desperate hour.

_**"It's you..!"**_

_"Yes it is me, but we've got no time to talk. I know what you're dealing with and I can see it from where I am. Can you see anything in this fog?" _she hurriedly asked.

I gave her a frantic reply.**_ "No! Not at all!" _**

_"Oh. I understand. That's fine- it'll be a bit harder to pull off."_

**_"What?!"_**

_"I'm going to help you out here. Listen carefully. I want you to trust me one-hundred percent on this; are we clear?"_

**_"Sure! Yes! Whatever you can do!"_ **I answered as the torrent of rocks began to rush right behind us and as Blaze began to falter in his steps, weary from the sprint.

_"Okay. Now do as I say. On the count of three, I want you and your partner to jump to the left immediately. Leave no room for error; you need to time this precisely!"_

**_"What's down on the left?"_**

_"A chance for you to save you and your friend's life. Keep running!"_

I glanced behind, eyeing the massive grey rolling stones and hearing their angry battle cry. I looked to the side, finding a wheezing Charmander, struggling to keep up the pace. I pulled his arm harder, propping him up with my speed.

Her voice re-formed in my mind, crystal clear.

_"Here we go. One."_

The Charmander gasped and cried for oxygen to fill his panging lungs. I began to feel the toll of fatigue too...

_"Two."_

Clouds of dust choked the air and shrieked in the wind.

RUMBLERUMBLERUMBLERUMBLE!

Fragments of the rocks began to nip at our heels as the mammoth chunks of stone sped right behind.

_"Three!"_

Without warning, I heeded her command and pulled Blaze to the left and into the unknown. "Blaze! _This way!_" I yelled, clenching his arm and bringing him and I down - off the edge of the valley and straight over a ledge.

Blaze and I yelled as we leaped into nowhere.

"_Aaaaaahhh_!" we screamed.

Down, down, and down we went, away from the path of the boulders and the dusty fog. The furious rumble began to fade away into a vague murmur as we fell down, down, and down...until-

_THUD!_

"_Owch!_" Blaze yelled, landing on a patch of grass neatly on his bottom. "Wait, hunh? I'm... still alive!?"

"Hahaha! We made it! _We're alive_!" I cheered, panting and lying down on the soft, green turf.

"Ugh. (_pant_) We are indeed," he groaned in relief. "But next time, no more of these silly shortcuts," he said.

The soft rumble of the rockslide continued to roar in the distance.

I paused to catch my breath. "Agreed. But hey; we're still alive, and that's what matters, right?"

Blaze sat up and weakly grinned. "If I could blast and burn you to bits right now, I would," he chuckled, teasing me with a burst of fire above my head.

We laughed, enjoying our survival as the sun rose high in the sky and the torrent of rock ripped through the valley above. We sat on a plateau, safe from the onslaught and conjoined to the face of the cliff. Looking over the cliffside and over to the ravaged underpass and up into the bright sky, I remembered the guiding spirit who saved us.

_**"Thank you, whoever you are."**_

_"No need for any thanks. It's my job to watch over you." _she replied in my mind.

_**"So, who exactly are you? And saving me and Blaze from that rockslide- why'd you do that?"**_

_"You've got a whole life ahead of you. Things will happen, things will change, and you will change things."_

**_"Huh? What's that supposed to mean?"_**

_"You'll find out in due time. I must leave now. Farewell."_

**_"Wait! You never answered my question! Can I at least have your name?!"_**

...

The spirit's motherly voice left like the wind. Gone. Hmph.

Blaze peered over to me, staring into my face. "You alright? You've been staring into the sky real funny. What happened to you?" he asked - thankfully without one of his scorching moves.

"Oh, ah, nothing. Just thinking about stuff," I equivocated. "Like our mission we have to go to! Right!" I yelped, remembering what we came for.

"Yeah, Thunderwave Cave. You have any idea where that is?" he wondered.

"I don't know; don't you have the map?" I asked as we climbed down the plateau's jagged cliff-face and down onto the ground below.

"Let me check," he replied, pulling out the oversized paper. "So if this is the end of Rockfall Underpass, then that means we must be right about... aha! Why, we're already here!" he proudly announced and pointed to a cavern in the distance.

"Like I said earlier, we'd be here in no time," I offhandedly remarked, eyeing two floating cycolptic eyes lazily hanging around the mouth of the cave. Must be the Magnemite from the letter. We ambled over, catching their attention. It was mid-day already, and from their buzzing I could tell they were pretty anxious to find someone to help them.

So this is the part where I'm supposed to heroically accept their plea for help. "Ah, hello, are you two the ones who requested some assistance in bringing your friends back?" I politely inquired.

The two levitating eyes turned around. "OH! BZZBZZ! YOU ARE HERE TO HELP!" one chirped in an static-filled voice.

The other spoke too. "YES! THANK YOU FOR ANSWERING OUR REQUEST! BZZT! BUT WE EXPECTED A MORE... EXPERIENCED, OLDER TEAM. NOT A PAIR OF CHILDREN FOR A MISSION LIKE THIS."

"YES I AGREE. BZZBZZBZ. WHO ARE YOU KIDS? WERE YOU THE ONES WHO CAME TO HELP? OR IS SOMEONE ELSE COMING, BZZBZZ?"

_Sigh_

Even Blaze blushed a little at the endearing, mechanically polite rejection. "We're a rescue team, and we came to help you guys find your lost Magnemite friends," Blaze aptly put.

As if to inspect us, one Magnemite leaned closer and gazed its single eye over us. "YOU ARE... WHAT TEAM AGAIN? BZZT? I HAVE NOT SEEN SUCH TEAM OF CHILDREN."

"We!... don't have a name yet. Actually, this is our first mission I guess," he replied sheepishly.

"OH... WELL, THANK YOU, BUT THIS IS A JOB FOR GROWN-UPS. BZZBZZ. YOU BETTER GET HOME BEFORE IT GETS LATE. BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERA-"

My voice shouted in desperate protest. "_No!_"

All eyes stared at me, shocked and confused from my outburst.

"I-er, what I mean to say is that I think we can handle this on our own. We might be young and this might be our first mission..." I stare at Blaze, who gives me a blushing smile, "but we can rescue your friends. We already did this in Tiny Woods with a Caterpie. I think we can do this again and help you guys. So please, just give us a chance!" I passionately declared.

"HMM, BZTBZZT. VERY WELL. AT LEAST YOU GUYS CAME FIRST TO HELP OUR FRIENDS. BUT TAKE CARE. YOU, PIKACHU, ARE AN ELECTRIC TYPE LIKE US. BZZTBZZT. THERE ARE WILD ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES IN THE CAVE THAT COULD HURT YOU. THAT'S WHY OUR FRIENDS ARE STUCK THERE. THERE'S SOMETHING WORSE GOING ON IN THERE TOO."

Ohhh. That's why it's called Thunderwave Cave. Well, no matter, I can deal with that! I'll deal with any waves; I'm an electric type!

"YOU KIDS JUST BE CAREFUL. BZZBZZ. MY FRIENDS ARE NOT TOO DEEP IN THE CAVE, SO WE WILL BE WAITING OUT HERE FOR YOU."

"Anything else we should know?" I asked.

"OH YES. BZZT. PLEASE BE BACK BY NIGHTFALL. JUST HURRY, I FEAR SOMETHING TERRIBLE FOR THEM IF YOU DON'T. BUT DON'T WORRY; SEE YOU SOON," they remarked in monotone unison.

Strange. Well, at least they said yes!

"Alright, we'll be back in no time," Blaze cheered as we headed into the rocky cave. Our first mission, our first official expedition, here we come!


End file.
